Aztec Fire
by Aleirbag Eiram
Summary: Late one night, an alien crashes into my backyard and flips my world upside-down. Now, I'm dealing with the struggles of keeping him hidden from new student named Dib. But that's not all my problems. When a blue/green fire wreaks havoc, we must journey to the heart of the aztec civilization to discover a legend as old as Cortéz, and a god who's imprisonment means death for us all.
1. Chapter 1

**Recuerdo una historia, mucho antes, que habló de los aztecas poderosos grandes**

* * *

I dodged the glob of mud that was thrown at me from behind.

" Nyea! Neeeerd!" shouted a brutal male voice. " Nyea, nyea, nyea!"

Another dirt missile flew by my head, followed by another. The second clump of mud managed to hit me in the side of the face, showering my skin with dark brown bits of earth.

With a squeal, I pawed at my face and scurried into the girl's bathroom as fast as I could.

_I hate school..._ I thought bitterly. _Bullies suck in any environment..._

I scooped a thimbleful of dirt from out of my eye socket and wiped my hand against the wall. The tan paint became smeared with streaks of dark.

" Only one more hour until lunch is over..." I mumbled to myself. " Only three more hours until the end of the school day. Only nine more hours until the end of Friday."

I said this over and over to myself, willing to believe it and make myself feel better.

" Hey, nerd!" came the voice from outside the door. " Come out and _play_ with us!"

I heard multiple chuckles and a whistle or two. I frowned.

" Go away Rob." I said.

" Ooooooo! Are you telling _me_ what to do, neeeerd?" Rob the Bully asked. I heard him crack his knuckles.

" Why am I a nerd again?" I asked. There was silence for a moment.

The fact was, I had no idea why Rob and his cronies liked to pick on me. I hadn't done anything wrong to provoke them, and I didn't have the kind of physical appearance that would make them want to tease me.

" You're a girl!" Rob finally decided, pleased that he had thought of something 'clever'. His cronies grunted in agreement.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

_They have the intellect of a group of gorillas..._ I thought. _They look and smell the same too..._

_Hard to believe they're ninth graders. I'm a grade below them, but I'm years ahead..._

" Come out of there!" Rob said.

" No."

" Fine. Then I'll just have to come _in..._"

I saw the doorknob rattle, and the door opened a bit. A pair of squinty brown eyes peered through the small crack.

" Hello!" Rob said gleefully.

" And goodbye." I snarled, kicking the door shut with my foot. I heard the wood slam against Rob's nose and a howl of pain echoed across the school.

" AUUUUURGH!" he screamed.

_I'm so dead._ I thought, but a smile curled on my lips nonetheless.

Slowly, I back up and sat in one of the stalls. I drew my knees up to my chest as I waited.

_This is the part where he comes_ in... I thought. _And beats me up again._

Gingerly, I traced a bruise on my jaw and a cut over my eyebrow, awards of past days.

I winced.

" I just want to go home now..." I whispered to myself.

" So do I..." said another voice. I jumped, startled, and looked up to see a pair of wide blue eyes peeking over the top of the stall.

" Lani..." I sighed, relived. " How are you?"

" Good." Lani said in a quiet voice.

Lani Toranta was a small, petite little eight grader with long blond hair and unusually large eyes. To many people, Lani looked like a short, shy girl who kept o herself most of the time.

The only thing I could say to that opinion was: 'HA!'

Lani, in truth, was a small bundle of insane energy and randomness. She giggled, and laughed and squealed, cried for no reason, and was never allowed to drink sugar or caffeine because it made her _super_ hyper. I knew everything about her, because she was my best friend.

" Yulari, you can't keep this up anymore..." Lani said, wiggling over the top of the stall and sitting on the top of the toilet. " Tell a teacher."

" I tried."

" Skip school."

" My mom won't let me."

" Fight back."

" Against _that_ monster?" I asked miserably. Lani shrugged.

" You could. I've seen you fight."

" I hate hurting people."

" What if they're hurting you?"

" I don't want to talk about it." I said. " It's Friday. The weekend's almost here, and I'll be free of Rob for a little while."

" But then Monday will come..." Lani said in a low voice, fiddling with the tassels on her blue skirt. " And Rob will return."

Lani was always so dramatic.

" First thing's first..." I said. " I have to get out of here without walking out the door."

Lani smiled and stood up on top of the toilet.

" I am the sneaking champion!" she giggled. " Let's go through the air-vents, that's how I got here in the first place."

I looked up at the ceiling and shuddered.

" Okay." I said. " But quickly. I have history class in five minutes."

Lani nodded and climbed up on top of the stall. Balancing, she reached up and pried the grate off the air-vent. A gapping square hole loomed on top of us.

" Ladies first!" she said, grinning at me. I scowled. Slowly, I pulled myself onto the rim of the stall and squirmed my way into the vent. I coughed as a cloud of dust went into my lungs.

" I hate doing this..." I growled. Lani climbed up behind me.

" While we're in here..." she said, crawling past me in the vent. " Let's talk."

" Okay." I said, brushing a spider off my jacket. " What are you doing this weekend?"

" My mom is going to bring me to the movies." Lani said proudly, making her way through the metal tunnel. " We're going to watch: ' When Aliens Invade.'"

" That was a good movie..." I admitted, following Lani. " But there was one thing I didn't like."

" What?"

" They made the aliens look so _evil_..." I said. " In fact, almost _every_ sci-fi movie I've seen makes aliens look like monsters."

" How do you know they're not?"

" I don't." I replied with a small frown. " But it just feels _wrong."_

" Well, if you find a nice one..." Lani said. " Let me know."

There were many things I liked about Lani. One of them was how she could talk about aliens while crawling through an air-vent like it was completely normal.

" How about you?" Lani asked. I shrugged.

" Nothing much. I have to help out on the farm. The harvest season is almost done."

I lived on an eight-acre property in the country with my mother. She and I were one of the few people who own a large plot of land in Southern California. It was fun working in the orchard that we had planted there and taking care of the gardens, but it did get pretty depressing when weekend fun was cut in order to run the farm.

" Maybe I'll come visit you." Lani said. " It'll be fun."

" Sure, but don't miss the movie." I said. " I don't want to you be miserable because of me."

Finally, Lani paused.

" We're right above the history classroom..." she whispered, point through the grate we were sitting on. Through the bars, I saw my teacher, Ms. Gerlane, giving a presentation at the front of the room.

I was late.

" Let's get in." Lani said, worming her fingers through the bars. " You might want to stand back."

" Lani, no-!"

My warning came too late. Lani popped the grate of the air vent and tumbled down. She landed on top of a classmate's desk, who screamed and fainted.

The funny thing was that is was a boy.

With a groan, I wiggled down after her. Covered in dust, my friend and I sat on top of the desk and gazed embarrassedly at our teacher. She raised her eyebrows.

" Late for class?" she asked.

Nod.

" Crawled through the air-vent?"

Nod again.

A smile crept over Ms. Gerlane's face.

" Creative." she said. " Revive Jimmy please, and brush yourselves off outside."

As a girl with short black hair slapped the fainted boy in the face a couple of times, Lani and I went outside and slapped at our clothes.

" Ms. Gerlane is amazing..." Lani sighed.

" Agreed." I said. " Let's never do that again."

Lani gave me a sly look that, for some reason, was more scary than all the bullies in the world.

* * *

In three hours, the end of school was announced and the student filed out of the classrooms. I walked alongside Lani, listening politely as she ranted.

" And the _things_ we're learning!" she complained. " _Why_ do we need to learn about the _Aztecs_ of all people? Why not the _Russians_ or the _British_ or a _living _civilization?"

I cleared my throat.

" Because we need to learn about the past?" I suggested. " In order not to make the same mistakes in the future?"

Lani snorted.

" Like I need to learn about _their_ mistakes..." she said. " I know _I_ won't ever give away my trust and my possessions to some weird guy from across the sea who I've never seen before in my life!"

" The aztecs thought that Cortéz was a god..." I said. Lani rolled her eyes.

" It's not important, that's all I'm saying. The Aztecs are a dead people. They're gone forever."

" There's still people who are the descendants of the Aztecs..." I claimed.

" But they don't live in the stone temples and perform human sacrifices anymore."

" You don't know that..." I teased, prodding Lani in the stomach with one finger. She giggled.

We exited the school and walked along the grassy sports field. The sky was bright and blue.

" Such a nice day..." Lani sighed. " Too bad we spend most of it inside, doing work."

I fiddled with a strand of my long hair.

" You should come see the movie with me." Lani said. " It'll be fun!"

" Maybe..." I said. I saw my mother's car parked in the drop-off area. I patted Lani's shoulder.

" I'll see you this weekend." I promised. " Don't get into trouble."

" Don't get abducted by aliens!" Lani giggled.

" Don't get sacrificed by aztecs!" I countered, grinning.

Waving good-bye to my friend, I walked over to my car and pulled open the passenger door.

" Hi mom." I mumbled to the woman behind the wheel.

I loved my mother. She was an elegant spanish woman with golden skin and long, dark-brown hair. Her smile could light up a room, but most of the time she was strict. Still, she was my mother.

" Hello Yulari, darling." my mother said, touching the side of my face. " How was school?"

I winced as her fingers brushed past the bruise on my cheek. I had told her that my injuries were from sports.

I didn't play sports, but she didn't know that.

" Fine." I said, strapping on my seat-belt as my mother started the car. " Lani's going to the movies this weekend."

" Lani..." my mother said. " Such a nice girl. Strange, but nice..."

I slumped further into my seat. Glancing out my window, I watched at the buildings and towers of the industrial zone melted away into the golden hills and tall pines of the rural area.

" You have another cut on your cheek." my mother said suddenly, causing me to jump. Automatically, I clapped a hand over the wound underneath my jaw.

" It's nothing." I claimed. " Just a small scratch."

My mother gave me a suspicious look, but realized that I didn't want to talk about it and reluctantly shrugged it off.

" I've decided that we need a break." she said. " The apples and pomegranates are ripe, but we can afford to take one weekend off."

I sat up as she said this.

_A weekend to myself... Wow!_

" For real?" I asked. My mother smiled.

" For real. You can do whatever it is your heart desires, but I have to warn you, I have a job meeting on saturday. You'll be home alone. Are you alright with that?"

" Yeah." I said. I had been home alone plenty of times. I knew what to do and what not to do.

" Okay." my mom said as we pulled into our long driveway. " We're home."

_Home..._ The word bloomed like chocolate on my tongue. My house say atop a large slope in the center of our property. Surrounding our house was a grove of different fruit trees. The house itself was quite large. It had been passed down in my family for generations. It was tall, with towers at the top like some sort of new-aged castle. It was a whitish-yellow color, like cream, with tall ceilings and dark, wooden gates. Slowly, my mother navigated the car over the bumpy asphalt and pulled up next to our house. With a sigh of relief, I opened the door the second the car stopped.

" Yulari!" my mom complained. " You could get hurt!"

" Yeah." I replied. I hopped across the cobblestone path and ran to the door.

" Open up, mom!" I begged. With a sigh, my mom threw me the keys.

" Be careful."

I slotted the key into the door and turned the handle. I barley paused to looked at the fresh roses on a table beside the entrance as I ran through the hall, heading for my room. When I got there, I slammed the door shut and turned on the shower.

With a groan, I undressed and stepped into the warm water, letting the drops slither down my skin. There was a mirror next the the shower, and I pulled apart the curtains for a moment to look at my reflection.

My skin was a tan color, like my mother's. At fourteen years of age, I was only about 5' 4", and my long, light-brown hair reached almost down to my waist. My eyes could only loosely be described as hazel: Green on the outside, brown on the inside, blue mixed in and orange in the very center, surrounding the pupil. Dark specks flecked my iris in random areas. I frowned at the bruise on my jaw.

" Stupid jerk..." I growled. " I could fight him if I wanted to..."

I traced a finger over my arm, feeling the muscles underneath. Wearily, I let my fingers drop.

Shutting off the valve, I stepped out of the tub and dried myself. I slipped into a simple nightgown, rubbing the soft cloth against my skin.

" I hate Fridays..." I mumbled.

" Yulari!" my mother called from somewhere in the house. " Dinner!"

I didn't have an appetite at the moment. I stuck my head outside the door.

" I'm not hungry." I said. " I'll just do my homework and go to bed."

The sounds of the kitchen stopped.

" Are you sure?' my mother asked, concern in her voice.

" Yeah." I said, slowly closing the door. Sleepily, I dragged my backpack over to my desk and sat down in the chair.

" I'll do a little bit of homework." I said to myself. " Just a little bit of history..."

I opened up my text book and began to read.

**The Aztec Empire**

_' The Aztecs, who probably originated as a nomadic tribe in northern Mexico, arrived in Mesoamerica around the beginning of the 13th century. From their magnificent capital city, Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs emerged as the dominant force in central Mexico, developing an intricate social, political, religious and commercial organization that brought many of the region's city-states under their control by the 15th century-'_

Even before I had finished the first paragraph, my eyelids began to droop. With a groan, my cheek pressed against the smooth pages of the book and I instantly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Violento y orgulloso, conquistaron a sus vecinos, y gobernaron con un puño de hierro**

* * *

I woke up around midnight to the sound of rain at my window.

With a yawn, I sat up and blinked sleepily at the water staining the glass, creating runny patterns that stayed for only a moment before they slid away. The stars outside shone down brightly through the gently downpour.

Transfixed, I pushed back my chair and put my hands against the window. The glass was cold and chilled my hands and my breath. Daring, I opened the entire window and stuck my head out into the rain.

" I'm going to catch a cold." I told myself gleefully. I really didn't care at this point.

Wiping the drops away from my eyes, I turned my attention to the stars above me. They were small and pretty, twinkling delicately on the navy-blue canvas of a sky, slightly misted by the rain clouds. Every star was almost exactly the same, except for a single, big red star directly in front of me.

Curious, I watched the star for a bit. It looked like a very small sun.

" Odd..." I mumbled. " I've never seen that star before... Maybe it's in my astronomy guide."

I turned away from the window to rummage through my small library. When I found the book, I opened it to the ' Night Sky' page. As I flipped, the water from my hair dripped onto the pages, soaking it in different spots.

" No..." I said after a moment, confused. " It isn't even mentioned here. Maybe it's an airplane? But it's too large to be an airplane, and it doesn't look like one."

I went back to the window to observe the strange object.

To my shock, I realized that it had gotten much bigger since my absence.

" Oh, it's a meteor!" I said, pleased that I knew what it was now. " _That's _why it' red, _that's _why it's not on the charts, and _that's _why it's getting closer!"

I smiled for a moment in my victory, when I realized there was another problem.

The meteor was getting closer.

The smile shifted off my face. Every minute, the object got bigger.

It was heading straight for my house.

Panic set in. I wanted to run to my mother's room and warn her, but I couldn't bear to tear myself away from the window. I needed to watch the meteor. I couldn't avert my eyes.

" Oh no..."

The object got closer. By now, the ground beneath me was shaking slightly. The trinkets on my shelves bumped against each other. It was like an earthquake.

An earthquake that got bigger and bigger each second.

I shrank back away from the window. The fire surrounding the meteor lit up my room, illuminating everything in a red light. The shaking was so strong, I struggled to stand.

" _Help!"_ I cried, but the hum of the incoming meteor was louder, and drowned out my already squeaky voice.

It was close enough now for me to see its circular shape, and its size. It was about the size of a tank.

With a whimper, I curled into a ball and covered my head with my hands.

**'BOOM!'**

The entire house shook with a force so great, it knock the books out of their shelves and shattered glass. The explosion swept me off my feet and threw me halfway across the room. Luckily, I landed on some pillows that had been pitched off of my bed, so I wasn't hurt.

The shaking and the sound lasted only for a moment, and then it was gone. The rain outside fell in through my broken window, soaking my bare feet.

Trembling, I stood up. Glancing around, I noticed that my house was intact, however messy.

" What happened?" I wonder aloud. " Where's the meteor?"

Curious, I poked my head outside of my window. A huge plume of steam blew into my face, causing me to choke.

_Steam is cause by water evaporating, like when it hits something really hot... _I thought.

_It's raining. The meteor was on fire. So, when water hits the meteor, it creates steam and extinguishes the fire around it._

A sudden thought cause a wave of excitement.

_The meteor must have crashed in my backyard!_

Energetic, I ran to my closet and pulled on some pants and a long shirt. Slipping into my black rain boots, I raced out of my room and swiped a jacket and a flashlight from the kitchen. The silence in the house told me that my mother was still asleep.

_Wow. Sound sleeper..._

I opened the front door and pulled the jacket hood over my head. The rain had turned into a downpour now, turning the ground into mud.

I flicked on the flashlight. A small beam of yellow light appeared at the end.

" Right." I said to myself. " Follow the steam."

Slowly, I splashed my way through the mud, keeping my eyes protected against the hot cloud of steam. The flashlight provided little help, but it felt comforting to hold it in my hand.

Finally, near the very, very back corner of my property in a place where my mother and I never went, I almost died. The edge of a crater was inches away from my feet before I noticed it and pulled back.

" This is it..." I said. I peeked over the edge of the crater, and was disappointed to discover that due to the huge plum of steam rising out of the hole, it was impossible to see the bottom. I sat down in the damp grass.

" I can't see a thing with all this steam." I said. " I'll wait for the meteor to cool down before I take a peek."

I waited for about five minutes before I noticed that the steam was beginning to thin out until it was only a veil. I crawled to the edge of the crater.

" I think I can look now..." I said. I swallowed down my excitement and slowly raised my eyes over the rim.

A scream forced its way up my throat, but I managed to hold it in as I shot away from the crater as fast as I could.

Laying a few feet away, I gasped and clutched at my heart, trying to ignore the horrible sense of panic in my body.

In a few moments, I managed to rid most of the fear from my mind and slowly crawled on all fours back to the crater. Slowly, I looked over the rim again, staring down in pure fear, curious wonder and nervous panic at the thing sitting in the middle of the crater, because the meteor wasn't a meteor.

It was an alien spaceship.

It was battered and burned, but I could still see the design and structure well enough to know that it wasn't from this earth. It wasn't one of those cliché saucer-like UFO's that were on every ' They're Coming!' poster or in most classic sci-fi movies. It was more sphere shaped, with two small, downward-pointing 'airplane turbines' on each side. It was a maroon color, with a large black symbol on the back. The symbol resembled a triangle cut in the middle by a circle, with two smaller triangles on the top. The symbol was scratched and singled. The long scratch marks couldn't have been caused by the crash: they looked deliberately done, as if they were chiseled. It looked like the pilot wanted to remove the symbol, but the paint was too permanent to remove completely.

The steam was almost cleared now. The ground beneath my stomach was squishy and wet. I ignored all the discomforts and continued to stare in awe at the spaceship beneath me.

Finally, after a long while, I worked up the courage to make my way slowly down the side of the crater. The mud underneath my hands made my fingers slowly sink into the earth, and I had to stop many times to yank my boots from out of the ground.

" Stupid, stupid, stupid..." I softly growled to myself. " Why am I doing this?"

Insane curiosity got the best of me. Inching my way slowly forward, I reached out a hand and hesitantly touched the metal of the spaceship. It was still warm, but incredibly smooth. Curious, I rubbed my hand along the chiseled marks on the symbol.

" Hand-made alright..." I said to myself, gently feeling the shredded metal grooves. They were too straight, too deep and too parallel to be an accident.

" Someone must really not like this symbol. Maybe they stole the ship."

At this thought, I remembered that the ship must have been piloted by someone, and nervousness sank in.

_This isn't a human ship. The metal isn't from earth. The design isn't from earth. The symbol isn't from earth. The pilot must be an alien._

I was frightened. I remembered every alien movie I had ever seen. Most of the time, the aliens were grey-skinned, ugly, large-black-eyed little naked men. I shuddered.

" They might experiment on me." I said to myself. " Or I might release them and cause the damnation of earth."

I wanted to go back to the house and phone the police, but something stopped me.

_I remember telling Lani that I didn't like the alien movie because it made the aliens look like monsters. Everyone has a stereotype vision of what extraterrestrials look and act like. What if they're friendly? What if they want to be friends, and I call the police, and the police take them away and experiment on them, and if they escape they'll be angry and hurt and want to kill all life on this planet in revenge..._

I slapped myself across the face when I realized that I was ranting.

I touched the back of the ship. Engines were usually on the back of a plane, and I couldn't see any sort of place for someone to look out of. Besides, if it had crashed, the ship would have been pointing forward and the front would hit the ground first. I needed to go around the ship to see the front.

_Bad idea..._ said my inner conscience.

" Shut up." I said. " Just go take a look..."

Slowly, I pressed my back against the hull of the ship and moved my way along it. My heart was pounding in my chest.

_What if the aliens ejected before the ship crashed? They should be running around the country side by now._

I don't know why, but there was a sense of hope that the ship would be empty.

That hope was broken when I saw the windshield.

It was made out of glass. It was probably the strongest glass in the universe, because the crash hadn't even left a single crack. Of course, it was dented and grooved just like the metal. I had a suspicion that it was a mixture of both glass and a strong plastic, giving it a sort of flexibility against crashes.

In any case, the glass was completely intact, and still fused onto the ship. There was not exit point or hole for someone to crawl out of.

That meant the alien was still on the ship.

With a groan, I leaned against the hull, trying to figure out what to do. Something caught my vision and I turned, curious to see what it was.

A strange substance was smeared on the inside of the glass. It was a deeper, richer color, and looked a lot thicker than a human's, but I immediately knew what it was.

_Blood..._

" How could I even assume that whoever pilots this space ship survived the crash?" I said to myself, staring at the blood, horrified. " Maybe there's a body in there!"

My dry throat constricted as I considered the possibility. And yet...

_What if whoever pilots this thing is hurt and needs help? Could I just leave them here?_

Pity and concern won, and I made an important decision.

I was going to break open the ship and help whoever was inside, no matter what they looked like.

It was risky. I could be attacked, or hurt, or burned, or stabbed. There was also the problem of how I was going to open the glass, if even a crash didn't break it open. However, I decided that it was better to try than possibly let someone suffer.

I wiped rain away from my face. The storm was fierce now. Lightning cracked against the sky, and the heavy drops splashed over my head like buckets.

Because of the downpour, it was hard to find something sharp to break open the glass with, so I ended up with a gardening spade.

As I walked back to the ship, I realized that I needed to be careful. Simply smashing the center of the glass would send shards flying at the person inside. I need to find a side way in.

I observed the edge of the glass. It was an almost flawless fusion between it and the metal, but I eventually found the thin line where the two of them connected. It was just large enough to stick the tip of the spade inside.

As a clap of thunder struck across the sky, I began to panic a bit.

_Every second I waste means that the person inside is more moment closer to dying._

I pulled the spade back like a crowbar. I pulled hard, but the glass didn't budge.

" Come on!" I cried. " Come on!"

I pulled harder. Slowly, the glass began to fold back.

" Yes! Come on..."

After a few minutes, (It felt like an hour. Or maybe it was?) I had made a hole large enough to crawl through. Setting aside the spade, I peeked inside curiously. It was too dark inside to see anything. No light was entering the hull, as the glass windshield was mostly buried in the dirt. I gave a growl of frustration.

" Dang it. I can't see-"

I could have slapped myself.

" Stupid!" I scolded. " You have a damn flashlight!"

My hands were shaking as I flicked on the narrow beam and aimed it inside the hole. At first, I couldn't see much. The light only gave a few feet of light, and it mainly uncovered a shredded pilot chair, sparking wires hanging from the ceiling and tore scraps of metal coming off the walls. Even in its destruction, I marveled at how elegant and beautiful the ship was. Everything was perfect and angular.

As I passed the light over the chair for the hundredth time, I heard a noise which made me jump back.

It sounded like a moan.

Frantically, I swept the light over everything in the ship, but I couldn't find where the sound was coming from.

_It must be coming from the back of the ship... _I thought. _The part where my flashlight can't go._

I inwardly groaned, but I knew what I needed to do. Turned off the light, I placed my head through the hole and squirmed through. It was a tight squeeze, and for a moment I was afraid that I was going to be stuck. Luckily, I manged to get through and I tumbled into the spaceship.

The air was warm and dense inside, and I landed in a puddle of liquid. When I raised my hand, I watched the fat drops roll off my fingers and I knew it was blood. Sick in my stomach, I wiped my hand on the pilot seat and began to crawl to the back of the ship. It was large enough to stand in, but I felt more secure when I was closer to the ground.

The flashlight was still stuck in my pocket, and I was too frightened of making noise to pull it out. Groping in the dark, I crawled over pointed sheets of metal and sharp wires that cut my hands. The ship was silent besides the electric sparking of the broken cables hanging from the ceiling.

I paused for a moment, sitting back on my heels to rub my bleeding wrists.

The ship was a lot larger on the inside than it had appeared on the outside. It could have fit five people easily, and about eight snugly. I couldn't help but be impressed by the design.

Suddenly, I heard a noise. It sounded like a soft moan, just like the one I had heard before.

_It's still alive..._ I thought.

" Hello?" I called hesitantly. The moan quieted, and then started again.

" Hey? I'm here to help you." I called, following the noise. The moans stopped, but I could now hear a rhythm of raspy, broken breathing.

Licking my dry lips and swallowing down my fear, I flicked on the flashlight and aimed it where I thought the noise was coming from.

The flashlight dropped from my trembling fingers. With a gasp, I scrambled backward in terror.

After a moment of siting terrified in the dark, I bent over and grabbed my flashlight. Trembling, I switched it back on and stared in twisted awe at the creature in front of me.

It was caught in the cables, its arms being suspended into the air and its head lolling onto its chest. It had a vaguely humanoid shape: A torso, arms, legs, a head. Shadows covered most of its features, but I could see that it had three fingers on each hand and a pair of eyes and a mouth. Ears and a nose were absent. What startled me the most, and what gave the creature a look of hideousness, was the thick red slime covering its body. It trickled down its limbs and face, like dark, sticky mud.

I shuddered as I stared at it. It looked unconscious, and I knew that if I was quiet, I could sneak out quickly.

I stopped myself and remembered my promise. Slowly, I crawled up to the alien, and even more slowly, reached out my hand and touched it on the shoulder.

The red, sticky liquid ran down my arm, and I realized what it actually was. The alien was covered in a thin layer of dust, rust, and blood. Its actual skin was hidden underneath the mixture. The coating also made the creature look bigger than it actually was.

I could have sighed in relief, but then I realized I had another problem.

My touch had woken up the alien.

Its head slowly lifted off its chest, and the goo on its face shifted as the creature opened its eyes.

I was spellbound, held in captivity by their amazing color and size. Opened halfway, they were the shape of crescent moons and were a beautiful, deep magenta. It almost blended in with the color of the blood encasing the alien, but they held more depth and the spark of intelligence.

The alien and I locked gazes. It stared at me like I was about to kill it, fear and panic flooding into its half-closed eyes. It tried to jerk away from me, straining against the wires that sliced its flesh.

" Stop! I'm trying to help you!" I cried, taking a step back to calm the creature. The alien, however, was not so easily won.

" ©´† å∑¥ ƒ®øµ µ´, ¥ø¨ ˙ø®®ˆ∫¬´ ˙¨µå˜ ƒ´µå¬´!" it cried, gnashing a pair of vampire-teeth at me. The language consisted of many complex noises made in the roof of the mouth. It sounded like an almost Arabian-like language spoken very quickly and with multiple tones and pitches.

I held out my hands in a neutral fashion.

" I'm not going to hurt you. I promise! Here..."

I reached over and grabbed hold of one of the wires. The alien shrank back from me.

" ©´† å∑å¥!" it hissed, but its voice was becoming weaker as it began to suffer from blood-loss. I gently unwound the wire from around the alien's wrist. As it finally snapped off, the cut it had made began to ooze fresh, lighter blood than the gunk surrounding the alien's body.

The alien didn't pull away or say anything as I moved around it and unwound the wires trapping its other wrist. As it finally got free, its entire body slumped forward. With a groan, the alien fell against the floor of the ship. The mixture began to slowly fell away from its body.

I bent over the alien's body, concerned.

" Are you okay?" I asked. The alien closed its eyes.

" ∂ø´ß ˆ† ¬øø˚ ¬ˆ˚´ ˆ†?" it said miserably. Its entire body began to tremble, and another moan escaped its lips.

Slowly, I reached over and grabbed hold of the alien's shoulders, heaving it up and leaning it against my chest. The alien groaned.

" I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" I said gently. " I'm going to try to help you."

The alien gave me a look that clearly stated: ' It doesn't look like I have a choice, now do I?'

I stood up, leaning the alien against my shoulder. The red gunk was still falling away from its body, exposing a bit of skin here and there, as well as what looked like shredded pieces of cloth. An weird thought passed through my head.

_Aliens wear clothes._

Another thought passed through.

_Of course they do. If they can build spaceships, then they should have clothes. Movie fiction is not something to be basing thoughts off of._

Slowly, I dragged the alien through the dark ship, trying to avoid the wires and shards of metal. Moving around the chair, the alien looked weakly around and then back at me with question. I pointed to the hole in the glass.

" I got in through there." I said. " Sorry, I had to bend the glass."

The alien blinked once. Some of the blood-rust-dirt mix had fallen away from its face, exposing green skin on a slender cheek and a strong, male-like jawline. I tried to focus.

" I'll go through first." I said. " And I'll bring you through after, alright?"

The alien didn't say anything, but I didn't blame it. The bits of skin that were showing looked pale, even if I didn't know what color it was supposed to be originally. I propped the alien next to the hole and began to climb through. Out on the other side, I reached through the hole and pulled the alien out after me.

It was still raining. The sky tossed down gallons of water on the heads of the alien and I. The alien moaned and shivered. I felt the same way. The water was freezing.

" Here..." I said, taking off my jacket and wrapping it around the alien's shoulders. " It's not much, but..."

The alien pulled the damp jacket around its gooey shoulders, and gave me a look of gratitude. I noticed that it didn't shrink away from me know. Rather, it accepted my support and leaned tiredly against me.

" Okay..." I thought aloud, wiping water away from my eyes. " Where should I take you...?"

The house was out of the option. There was nowhere inside of there where I would be able to hide a hurt alien that my mother wouldn't discover. The outside air would be a death sentence for the poor guy too.

I remembered suddenly that there was a barn near the very back of the property from a long time ago when we used to have farm animals. It was wooden and the paint was peeling off, be the inside was dry and relatively warm. I decided that the barn was my best option. My mother never went there, and it was only a few minutes walk from where I was now.

" Okay." I said to the alien, who looked like it was about to pass out. " I know where I'm going to take you. You'll be safe, okay?"

The alien's eyes were slowly closing, and it fought to keep them open.

" å¬®ˆ©˙†..." it said quietly, its voice hoarse with pain. " ∫¨† π¬´åß´˙¨®®¥, µ¥ ˆ˜ßˆ∂´ß å®´ çøµˆ˜© ø¨†..."

I couldn't understand it, but the message the alien said was clear enough: ' Hurry the hell up.'

I navigated the alien towards the edge of the crater, the mud sticking onto my boots. Looking down, I realized that the alien was wearing boots too: black, with silver fastenings and steel toes. The mud stained the outside of the boots as the alien struggled up the slope, but the water washed it away quickly.

Reaching the rim of the crater, the alien sank onto to wet grass, shaking. I pulled it to its feet, feeling bad that I was forcing it through pain, but unwilling to keep it out in the open. The alien whimpered painfully.

" It's not far..." I reassured. " We'll be there soon."

The alien staggered for a moment, and I had to half-carry it in order for it to even be able to stand. The alien drew in a struggled, ragged breath.

" π¬´åß´..." it moaned. " π¬´åß´..."

I gently dragged the alien through the rain, trying to remember where the barn was. For a while, I was afraid that it had been tore down without my knowing.

I found out that it hadn't when I ran into it a hurt my face.

Luckily, the alien wasn't hurt. It also managed to yank me away before I broke my nose.

" Thanks..." I mumbled, rubbing my cheek. The alien gave me a slightly amused look through half-slitted eyes.

" Wait here..." I said, setting the alien down, propped up against the side of the barn. Walking around the perimeter, I found the large, square doors and eased them open. It was hard, considering that the high wind was blowing against me, keeping them shut. With a growl, I pried them open and disappeared inside.

It was very dark. With a groan, I flicked on my flashlight. The barn was large inside, and to my surprise, it was warm. A pile of old canvas and ropes was thrown in the corner. A few oil lamps were propped against the wall, many of them smashed. A few were intact, however, and I selected a match from of the ground and lit them. I placed them hanging from the ceiling, lighting the whole room in a soft, yellow glow.

Now that I could see, I noticed piles of hay on the floor and got an idea.

Gathering as much of the dryish bits of hay as I could into a large pile, I grabbed the canvas and laid it on top, creating a make-shift bed. I went back outside and located the alien.

To my shock, the alien was laying on the floor, not moving. I passed a hand over the alien's mouth and was terrified to find that no breath was coming our either.

" No! No, not now!" I cried. I heaved the alien over my shoulders and pushed back into the barn. The glowing lamps lit up the room.

I laid the alien on the bed and began rubbing its chest area.

" Come on, breath!" I begged. " Please!"

After a few horrible moments, the alien heaved a huge gasp. Arching its back, it rolled onto its side and coughed out blood and water.

I gave a cry of relief.

" Finally!" I said. " I thought you were gone!"

The alien slowly looked back at me, the red gunk still smeared all over its face. With a small groan, it closed its eyes again and curled up tighter.

" Right." I said, suddenly aware. " You're freezing, you're bleeding and your clothes are in rags. I need to go find something to fix your problems."

The alien opened one eye again and gave me a clearly amused look.

" Okay..." I said sheepishly. " I'll be... right back..."

As I stood up to leave, I felt a strong grip on my wrist. Looking down, I saw that the alien had grabbed hold of me, and was looking up with fully-opened magenta eyes.

" It'll only be a moment." I reassured gently. The alien blinked, but didn't let go.

" I promise." I added. Finally, the alien cast a pleading look on me, and released its grip.

" I'll be right back." I said again. I turned away and pried open the wooded doors again. To my surprise, the rain was starting to slow, becoming a drizzle instead of a downpour.

" It stopped raining!" I called over my shoulder.

The alien didn't say anything to me, but I could hear it shift on the hay pile.

" Right..." I said to myself. " Let's get this over with."

Closing the door softly behind me, I made a mad dash for the house. The mud made me slip a couple of times, and by the time I got to my room, I was covering in caking earth.

With a sigh, I grabbed an armload of blankets, a first-aid kit and a few pieces of clothing. The shirt was long sleeve, plain black in color and with a hood on the back. I also grabbed a simple pair of grey sweat-pants. It wasn't a fashion statement, but I wanted to grab something that could be appropriate for either gender, since I couldn't tell what the alien was because of the dried blood surrounding its body. Reminding myself, I grabbed a washcloth and some wipes before I went out the door again.

As I passed by the crater, I paused. The ship was almost entirely submerged by the mud, with only the back sticking up. I realized that I couldn't just leave the spaceship exposed like that, even if it was almost completely swallowed. Setting down the supplies on a dry patch of ground, I went over to the tool shed and grabbed a very large green tarp. I set it over the hole, which took me a while. I knew it wasn't much, but my mother never came into the general area, and the green tarp would help to not arouse her suspicions if she glanced over the crater from the corner of her eye.

Returning to the barn, I knocked before I entered, warning the alien that I was coming in.

" Hi." I said lamely. The alien raised a non-existent brow.

" I… got the stuff." I said, waving the items out in front of me. The alien raised its brow higher as if to say: ' I can see that, you idiot.'

" I also covered the ship, so people won't find it unless they walk over it, which is highly unlikely." I added, hoping to keep the alien from looking at me like I was stupid. Both brows went up this time, and the alien tilted its head to one side.

" Yeah, that's really creepy…" I mumbled to myself. Surprisingly, the alien heard me, and it lowered its brows and gave me a weak but pretty decent ' Hey-you-just-saved-my-life-I'm-completly-in-your-d ebt-so-please-don't-throw-me-out-in-the-storm-beca use-I'm-creepy' smile.

I grinned back.

" Well, I guess I'd better get you cleaned up…" I sighed. " That gunk doesn't look comfortable."

The alien glanced down at itself in surprise, as if it were just noticing the dried blood around its body.

Which, depending on how delirious it had been when it was rescued, it probably was.

I knelt by the alien's side and gently took ahold of its arm. I placed a wipe on the skin and slowly rubbed it back and forth. Even though I was being as gently as possible, the alien's eyes were narrowed into slits.

" Hey…" I said after a while. " Can I ask you a question?"

The alien glanced over at me and nodded once.

" Are you…" I began, afraid to even say it. " Are you a boy?"

The alien looked at me for a minute, and I had the horrible feeling that I had gotten it wrong. Then, with a small smile, it nodded.

" Oh." I said, the lump in my throat releasing. " Just checking."

The alien smiled wider and closed its- no, _his_ eyes. He closed _his_ eyes.

" I'm sorry." I sighed. " Am I hurting you? Be truthful."

The alien though for a minute, and then nodded.

" Oh." I whispered. " Oh, I'm sorry. " I'll-… I'll just…"

As I began to remove the wipe, the alien snaked out his hand and grabbed ahold of my wrist. His eyes still closed, he shook his head once and place my hand onto his shoulder.

" Are... are you sure?" I asked. The alien nodded.

I continued to wipe the blood off of his body, pausing only to change the wipes or use the washcloth to scrub off any stubborn bits of gunk. After a while, I sat back on my heels.

" That's all I can do with these." I sighed.

I couldn't miss the alien's sigh of relief. I smiled sheepishly.

" Sorry."

Now that he was semi-clean, I was able to see the alien's features more clearly. He had the shape of an athlete, and his skin was the color of green apples.

_Apples..._ I thought randomly. _Yum..._

He had three fingers on each hand, and talons on his feet. Besides being covered in cuts, his skin was flawless and smooth, without a single hair. As far as I could tell, he didn't even have a bellybutton.

For some reason, he looked like a high schooler to me. His facial features were youthful in appearance, but the shape of his muscles suggested that he had been in many difficult and physically challenging situations.

The most striking part about his were the pair of antenna on his head. They were black and reached down to his shoulders, ending in small triangle shapes at the tip.

As if he sense my stares, the alien opened one eye and gazed at me.

Embarrassed, I looked away quickly.

" SorryIdidn'tmeantodothat." I slurred.

To my surprise, the alien just made a chuckle sound and closed his eye again.

" Are you hungry?" I asked. The alien shook his head slightly.

" Thirsty?"

Shake.

" You just want to rest?"

Nod.

After a moment of sitting there, I remembered the clothes.

" Oh, I uh, brought you some..." I stammered, waving to the sweatpants and jacket.

The alien opened his eyes fully and looked almost longingly at the jacket.

" Here..." I said gently, sliding the jacket over his head. When that was finished, I helped him put on the pants as well.

The alien sighed and curled up tighter. He looked much more relaxed and peaceful, and I had to smile.

" Alright, I have one last thing..." I said. Rolling up one of the blankets, I placed it under the alien's head as a pillow. I draped the other over his thin frame to protect him from the cold.

With an almost grateful grin, the alien drew the blanket closer to himself. With a sigh, I turned down the lamps so that it was a little darker in the room. Standing up, I brushed my hands on my knees and stifled a yawn.

" Are you going to be alright?" I asked. " I can stay if you want, but I should really go back to the house so my mom doesn't become suspicious.

The alien opened one eye for a moment and then closed it again. It was obvious that he expected me to do what was best.

" I'll be back early tomorrow to check on you." I promised. " And I swear that you'll be safe here."

The alien only smiled.

Turning back to the door, I picked up the bloody wipes and brushed some hay away from the path.

" Oh." I said, turning back for a moment. " My name is Yulari by the way."

The alien was already asleep, his eyes closed.

I sighed softly. As I opened the door, and the wind blew on my face, I heard the sound of shifting hay behind me.

There was a voice that called after me, a voice soft, hoarse and full of pain, but still obviously distinguishable as a male teenager.

" It's a pleasure to be made your acquaintance, Yulari." the alien said quietly. " My name is Zim."


	3. Chapter 3

**Veneraron a muchos dioses, pero ninguno fue tan amado como su creador, la serpiente emplumada Quetzalcoatl**

* * *

A drop of water landed on my nose. With a soft whine, I wiped it away.

Another landed in almost the exact same spot.

I ignored it and kept my eyes closed, remembering a dream that I had.

_An alien crashed into my_ _backyard._ I thought. _How cool was that?_

I smiled and rubbed a hand over my face.

_The alien told me something right before I woke up. What was it?_

I sighed and dropped my hand.

_Well, at least it's the weekend... I'm really sad that it was only a dream, it would have been epic if it were real..._

Another drop of water landed on my cheek.

_Damn! Maybe my window is leaking!_

I groaned and opened my eyes.

As I did so, my heart lept up to my throat.

Golden sunshine shone through a broken window and haloed the many strewn objects on the floor. Excess rainwater that had collected on the windowsill fluttered into my room and splashed me from my spot on the floor.

Startled, I looked down at myself. I was dressed, but my clothes were covered in mud and what looked like a red paste.

_Oh lordy! _I thought. _It all actually happened!_

I sucked in a few breaths and then began to panic again.

_The alien! He's there all alone and he's still hurt, and he's in pain and what if my mom found him?!_

I forced myself to calm down.

" He's fine." I said to myself. " And, I remember... he told me..."

_He told me his name was Zim._

I smiled.

" Nice name."

A scream rang through the house. Instantly, I was on my feet and sprinting to my mother's room.

" Mom!" I cried, flinging open the door.

My mother, still dressed in her nightgown, was staring in horror at the tumbled room around her.

" Yulari!" she gasped. " What... how...?"

My eyes flicked down for an instant and saw the blood still staining my shirt. Quickly, I ducked behind the door frame and stuck only my head out before she noticed.

" It's okay, it wasn't robbers..." I soothed. " It was an earthquake."

" Earth...?"

" Yep, it wasn't too bad. Things just got thrown around and my window broke, but anyway, do we have any cereal?"

" Uh..." my mom stuttered, still in shock. " Ye-yes, in the bottom drawer, but-"

" Okay, gotta run! Only two days to enjoy before school starts, and I ain't letting a little earthquake stop me, bye!"

Before my mom could say anything, I ducked away and raced into the kitchen. I grabbed a box of fruit loops, a couple of bananas and a carton of orange juice and shoved them in a paper bag. I proceeded to bolt out the door.

The dirt was sticky and had a musty smell to it. As I passed the crashed ship, I was pleased to see that mud had covered the tarp, so that only a tiny corner of green poked out.

Excitement was making my stomach feel bubbly. An actual alien!

Still, this whole thing was pretty far-fetched. I could have been sleepwalking yesterday, or thought the whole thing up.

I was about to find out the truth.

As I neared the corner of the property, I slipped on the mud and fell on my face. With a squeak, I tried to scramble to me feet, only to fall down again and again.

With a growl, I pushed myself to my knees and crawled to a patch of dry grass.

" Aw, shit!" I complained. My clothes were even more filthy then before, and I was panting like crazy.

" This isn't going well..." I sighed, wiping dirt from my eyes. As I tried to stand again, I slipped and fell on my rump.

" OW!" I squealed.

Instead of trying to stand, I decided then to crawl to the barn. It took me longer then I would have liked, and my clothes became even more disgusting.

Finally, I slumped against the wooden doors and heaved a sigh.

" Finally!" I groaned. " That was _awful!_"

I felt like I was forgetting something though.

I peeked up the path that I had just come, and saw a lumpy brown bag sitting glumly a little ways away.

" You've got to be kidding me..." I said through clenched teeth. " I forgot the freaking FOOD!"

I had no choice but to make my way back up the slippery slope.

* * *

A couple of minutes later, I flung open the barn door and crawled inside.

" Damn!" I gasped, my breath gone. " I... never... Jesus..."

I looked up, half expecting my efforts to be in vain due to the absence of an alien.

They weren't.

The alien Zim, the one who had crashed into my yard late last night, was sitting upright. He had been lightly dozing until my noisy arrival, where his antenna shoot straight up and he stared at me in surprise.

" Oh." he said, his voice still slightly hoarse. " Hello."

After a moment of comprehending that he had just spoken to me, I grinned weakly.

" Hi..." I wheezed. " I... glad you... okay..."

Zim tilted his head slightly as he observed my pitiful state.

" Are you alright?" he asked, raising a brow.

I glanced up at him.

" Just... peachy." I gasped. " I brought... some food."

I gave the bag a little push in his direction. He glanced down at it curiously.

" Oh. Thanks."

I swallowed and rolled onto my back with a moan.

The alien only smiled.

He was a lot more talkative then before, as I observed. I guessed that he was feeling more comfortable then he had last night.

_Good. It would have been really awkward if he didn't say anything. _I stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say.

" Um, how are you feeling?" I asked. Zim shrugged.

" Better, thanks to you." he said. My cheeks flushed slightly.

The alien peeked into the bag and withdrew the cereal box. He turned it around in his hands, unsure of what to do.

" You tear open the top." I said. " And eat the stuff inside."

" Ah." Zim said sheepishly. " I knew that."

He did as he was told and plunged a hand inside. He withdrew the colorful food and glanced up at me once.

" Go on." I urged, sitting up and rubbing my throat. " It isn't the best, but it'll fill your stomach."

" What makes you think I have a stomach?" Zim asked slyly, raising a brow.

My cheeks turned the color of his eyes.

" CRAP! I'M SORRY!" I cried. " I WASN'T THINKING, I NEVER THOUGHT THAT-"

" Chill, I'm teasing you..." Zim chuckled. " Of course I have a stomach."

I released the huge breath that I had been holding.

" Don't do that..." I mumbled weakly. Zim just winked at me.

I was surprised at how much he acted like a regular human teen. I didn't know he very well, but his confident, slightly cocky attitude was starting to show.

Not that it bothered me. In fact, I kind of liked it.

Zim shoved the cereal into his mouth and swallowed. He closed his eyes for a moment and smiled.

" Gawd, that's good."

I snorted.

" No, it ain't." I said. " It's sugar bombed is what it is."

Zim opened a ruby orb and looked at me.

" Strong feelings, don't you?"

I shrugged.

" Gotta have something."

Zim glanced down at the box and then back at me.

" Have you eaten?" he asked. I shook my head.

He jiggled the box in my direction.

" Come here then."

I waved my hands in front of me hurriedly.

" Oh no!" I giggled. " I'm okay! I can always get something from the fridge, but you haven't eaten anything, and besides, I'm not hungry!"

My stomach made a loud growling noise just as I finished my sentence.

Zim smiled and extended the box again.

" I insist."

I glanced at the box. My stomach grumbled again.

The next thing I knew, I was seated across from Zim with a handful of cereal that I was shoving in my mouth.

Zim laughed and set the box in my lap.

As I licked the sugar off my fingers, I looked up at the alien and suddenly realized that I was sitting next to a person that I had absolutely no knowledge of. A blush formed in my cheeks.

" Uh, I just realized that we haven't been properly introduced..." I stammered, brushing a hair away from my face. Hesitantly, I extended my hand.

" I'm Yulari. I'm a fourteen-year old human that lives here in San Marcos, which is in California, in the United States, in North America, on Planet Earth, and in the Milky Way."

Zim stared at me for a minute.

" Well, hi." he said finally, grasping my hand. " I'm Zim, a sixteen-year old Irken that used to live in Urstha, which is in Kesical, on Planet Irk, and in the Rectrion Galaxy."

I stared in awe at him.

" You're _how _old?"

" Barely sixteen in Irken years." Zim said mildly. " In human years, that adds up to about... four-hundred and seventy two."

" Wow."

Zim opened the orange juice and took a long drink.

" Soo..." I said quietly, watching him for a moment.

He transfixed me. Everything about him was so exotic yet wonderful, and everything about him was interesting to look at.

His green apple skin was still smeared with traces of brown and red, but his thin athletic frame was now recognizable. His magenta eyes were closed at the moment as he took in greedy gulps of liquid oranges, his snake-like tongue swept across his lips during his pauses between drinks. He looked completely occupied, but the pair of antenna on his head twitched slightly as I spoke.

He opened one eye and glanced at me.

" Well..." I continued. " We haven't exactly..."

Zim set down the empty carton and wiped his mouth.

" Haven't what?" he asked.

I fiddled with my thumbs.

" Well, I know absolutely nothing about you." I said quietly. " But I've taken you in and kept you hidden. Am I wrong in doing this?"

Zim stared off to the side for a while.

" Who are you?" I asked.

Zim looked back at me.

" Some questions are best left unanswered." he said gently. " But I promise that you have nothing to fear from me."

" Why is it that you've started talking?" I asked curiously.

Zim shrugged.

" I feel like I can trust you." he said. " You've saved my life, and that places me forever in your debt."

I rubbed my arm uncomfortably.

" Uh, how did you crash anyway?" I asked.

Zim's expression turned sour.

" It's a long story." he said.

" I'm a good listener."

Zim opened his mouth.

" Yulari!" came a cry. " Where are you?"

Zim gave me a startled look.

" Shit." I growled. " It's my mom!"

I scrambled to my feet. As I reached for the handle of the door, I hesitated and turned back to Zim.

" I'll be right back." I promised. " Stay here."

Zim smiled grimly at me.

" I'm not going anywhere."

I nodded and raced out of the barn. As I passed the buried spaceship, I slipped in the mud and fell on my face again.

" OW!"

" Yulari!" my mom cried. " Where are you?!"

" Here!" I called back. " I'll be there in a sec!"

I hauled myself to my feet and staggered back to the house.

" Mom?" I asked.

The front door opened and my mom poked her head out. Her hair was made and she was wearing makeup.

" _There_ you are!" she sighed. " Dear lord, you're a mess! Is- is that _blood?!_"

I looked down at myself. Zim's blood still stained my shirt.

" Oh no!" I said quickly. " There was some red mud near the pond and I slipped in it."

Thankfully, Zim's blood was a few shades darker then human blood and it was mixed with the mud on my shirt.

My mother gave me a suspicious look, but eventually stepped out of the house and closed the door.

" Wow." I said, raising an eyebrow at the elegant business clothes she wore. " What gives?"

" I told you yesterday." she said. " I have a meeting all day, so I'll be at the office. Are you sure you're good here alone?"

I smiled.

" Yep, I'm good." I giggled. " No need to worry."

My mom stroked my hair.

" Call me if you need anything." she urged. " Try to pick up your room as much as possible. I'll have someone replace the windows next week, so place a sheet over the frame to keep the rain and bugs out, okay?"

" Okay." I said. " Have a good day."

My mom slid into her car and gave me a wave through the window.

" I'll see you tonight." she said. " Be good! Play safe!"

" Okay! Bye!" I cried, watching her drive away into the distance. As soon as she was out of sight, I turned around and sprinted back to the barn.

" My mom's gone to work." I told Zim breathlessly. " You're safe for today."

Zim gave a sigh of relief.

" Are you still hungry?" I asked. " If you are, I can go get you some more-"

Zim shook his head.

" No, I don't want to give you any more trouble. I'm fine."

I stared at Zim. I suddenly realized what he really needed the most at the moment.

" Hey, since my mom's gone, the house is empty." I said slowly. " Soo... if you want, you can take one of the bedrooms and get a real nap, and maybe take a shower or something if you'd like..."

I rubbed the back of my neck.

" But, if you'd rather stay here, I can totally understand that-"

" Do you- do you really not mind?" Zim asked quietly, his eyes the size of dinner plates. I smile sheepishly.

" Well, or course not! I can get you over there now, and as you're fixing up, I can make this place a lot more comfortable. If I could, I'd let you stay in the house, but I don't think it's that safe..."

" You really don't mind?" Zim asked again. I glanced at him.

" Why would I?"

Zim cringed.

" You're- you're being so nice to me..." he said quietly. " I don't deserve this. But... why aren't you afraid?"

" Why would I be?"

" Humans fear what they don't know. Aren't there extreme stereotypes about aliens? Bad ones?"

Zim bit his lip.

" That was out of my place to say." he said. " Forgive me. I'll only stay until my wounds heal, and then I'll-"

I bent over and touched his shoulder.

" I was afraid of you." I said truthfully. " But, I'm afraid of a lot of humans too. That's nature."

I tilted my head.

" I was afraid, but then I realized that you must be afraid of me too. We put our trust in each other, and I've decided that I like you, even though I've only known you for a couple of hours. You can stay as long as you'd like, and if you need anything, I'll be more than happy to help you."

I smiled.

" How about we get you to the house, okay?"

Zim stared up at me.

" O-okay..." he said softly, his eyes round.

I offered him my hand, and he took it. As he stood, a wave of nausea rushed over him and he staggered on his feet.

" Zim-"

" I got it."

A pair of strange, metal spider legs came out from Zim's back and dug into the ground on either side of him, steadying his stance.

Zim caught my open-mouthed stare and he grinned.

" P.A.K legs." he said. " Check it."

I peeked over his shoulder. The legs were coming out from a backpack-like silver object with three magenta ovals on it. Curious, I touched the metal.

" It's warm." I said.

" Of course." Zim said. " It's a part of me. I can take it off, of course, when I need to, but I keep it on most of the time because it's my greatest weapon. It responds to my brain waves just as if it were one of my limbs. See..."

A third leg came out of the P.A.K and waved at me. I laughed.

" How many do you have?" I asked.

" Four." Zim said. " They're mighty useful, being able to shoot lasers, create force-fields and slice things. They can also turn into a jet pack, but that takes a lot of energy."

" Cool."

" In all honesty, they can be a pain at times." Zim sighed.

" I still think it's cool."

Zim smiled at me.

" You're really sweet, you know that?"

I blushed madly and buried my face in my hands.

" Oh no, I'm not! I'm just saying what comes to my mind is all! There's no need to compliment me, I'm just being myself!"

Zim laughed.

I wiped my eyes and looked back up

" Well, let's get back to the house, okay? I know you say you're not hungry, but no person in the right mind can get through with just a box of dry cereal and a carton of orange juice."

" And these weird yellow tasty things." Zim added, holding up a banana peel. I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

" Bananas make it _sooo_ much better..."

" They do?" Zim said, looking confused.

" I was... er... never mind..."

I looped an arm around Zim's waist and leaned him against me.

" Ready?" I asked.

Zim nodded.

We took a step forward. I remembered last night and shifted my weight onto the opposite side that Zim was on. He responded by changing his center of gravity so that we didn't fall over.

I opened the door. Zim shrank back slightly at bright sunlight streamed into his face. With a soft hiss, he shielded his eyes.

" You don't like the sun?" I asked.

" It's not that." Zim complained. " I've spent the whole night in the dark, so my eyes are really sensitive."

I poked his stomach playfully.

" Live a little."

" You'll be surprised..."

The ground had dried slightly, so our trek was not as difficult as I expected. However, we were going much slower then I would have liked, and I gently urged Zim faster.

" I have no idea if the neighbors can see you. Let's get inside as soon as possible."

Zim groaned.

" I'm going as fast as I can. I still hurt all over, and one of my cuts opened us last night."

" After you take a shower, I look over your injuries properly, okay?" I said. " I'll have better medical stuff and light to see."

Zim smiled at me, but it was forced. I could tell he was starting to hurt.

As we passed the tarp, I nodded to the ground.

" That's were you crashed."

Zim stared at the spot.

" Is that where the Voot is?" he asked softly. I nodded.

" Voot?"

" That's the name brand of the ship." Zim explained. " Voot Cruiser. It's faithful, and I care about it. Is it okay?"

" Broken." I said truthfully. " And buried under mud. Why was the symbol on the back chiseled off?"

Zim looked startled.

" What?"

" The black triangle symbol on the back." I said again. " There were scratch marks on it."

" Scratch-?" Zim breathed, and then a terrifying look of anger clouded his face.

" Those _bastards_!" he roared. " This is all _their _fault! I never _knew_ they would resort to such a low-!"

" Zim!" I cried, struggling to stay upright. " Chill!"

Zim snarled once and then brought himself back together.

" Sorry." he said apologetically. " I snapped."

I smiled weakly.

" It's cool." I said. " Uh, pardon me asking, but who _did _scratch the symbol off?"

" The same cowards that secreatly re-encoded my ship and caused me to crash here." Zim replied stiffly. " My ex-leaders."

" Ex-leaders?"

" The Tallest." Zim said, acknowledging the blank look in my eyes. " They're bastards."

" So I've heard. You should tell me about them sometime."

Zim snorted.

" What are you, fourteen?"

" Uh, yeah..."

" I don't think the language I would use to describe them would be appropriate for your ears." Zim said.

I frowned.

" You're sixteen."

" And?"

" Well... I... Forget it."

Zim laughed once and pinched my cheek.

" I promise to tell you the watered down version." he said.

" Good."

We finally reached the house. Zim whistled through his teeth.

" You live here?"

" Yeah, with my mom..." I replied. " It's a great place, but it's kinda lonely..."

I had left the front door ajar, so Zim just opened it with his foot.

" What the hell?" he asked, gazing at the ruined home. I sucking in a breath.

" Crap, I forgot. When you crashed, a few things got tumbled around."

Zim gave me a sheepish look.

" I'm sorry."

" It wasn't your fault."

I left go of Zim and propped him up against the wall.

" I'll go get a bathroom ready." I said. " And I'll find you some better clothes."

" Okay."

" Can you walk?" I asked.

" I think so..."

" Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

Zim gave me a vampire smile.

" That was not a smart thing to say..."

" If you eat too much, your head will explode." I teased.

Zim stuck out his amazingly long tongue.

" We'll see about that."

I left Zim to his task of getting to the fridge and I went into my bathroom. A few of the soap bottles were thrown on the floor, but nothing was broken. With a sigh on relief, I arranged the bottles and selected an extra-fluffy yellow towel from beneath the sink.

" Zim!" I called as I hung up the towel. " The shower's ready!"

There was a loud clatter from the kitchen, followed by a swear word.

" Zim?" I asked.

" I'm fine!" Zim called. " Just tripped!"

" OHMYGOSH!" I shrieked, bolting out of the room. " AREYOUOKAY?"

I found Zim in the hallway, sitting on his rump and rubbing his neck midst a pile of spilled boxes and cans.

" Ouch." he said.

" ARE YOU OKAY?!" I cried, swooping down on him and inspecting his body for extra bruises.

Zim wiggled under my touch.

" Jesus!" he said. " You're like a crazy mother hen!"

I gave his antenna a sharp yank.

" Falling is not a good thing to happen to you right now!" I retorted. " You're still hurt, and your body is just starting to heal itself!"

" I just tripped!" Zim whined. " What's the big deal?"

" You're lucky you didn't break any bones during the crash landing last night! Break just one, and I won't know how to fix you!"

Zim smiled and used my shoulder to stand.

" Don't worry. I'm fine."

I frowned.

" Are you sure you want a shower?" I asked. " If you want, I could turn it into a bath, so you don't have to stand up."

Zim told me to do what I thought was best, but I could tell by the way his antenna perked at the mention of a bath that he liked the idea much more.

" Okay." I said. " I'll lay you down on my bed and you can get in after it's ready."

" Alright."

Despite Zim being covered in mud and blood, I gently sat him down on my sheets and eased him into a comfortable position.

" Stay here, okay?" I said. " I'll be back."

" This bed is comfortable..." Zim sighed.

I left him there, hopefully in a safer spot than before. I went back to the bathroom and began to run the water, testing it until I was sure that it wasn't too hot.

" Zim?" I said when I went back to the bedroom. " It's ready."

" Great."

I helped Zim up and we staggered to the bathroom. We waited a few moments until the tub was full, and then I shut off the water and help Zim peel off his shirt.

" Can you do the rest yourself?" I asked. " I don't want to intrude on your privacy."

" I'll be fine." Zim said.

" Shout if you need anything."

" I will."

I left the room and closed the door behind me. Remembering what my mom had asked, I got a sheet out of the cabinet and tacked it over my broken window. I then swept up the loose pieces of glass and rearranged the fallen objects on my shelf.

" Zim?" I called. " You okay?"

" I'm in heaven." he replied. I smiled.

I went into the laundry and picked out some clothes. They consisted on a grey T-shirt with the Elements logo on the front, some skinny jeans and a black hooded jacket. I was glad that my mom often went out and bought boy clothing for me, since they were much more comfortable and were handy if a male alien ever crashed into your backyard.

I went back to the room and saw that Zim had placed his muddy boots outside the bathroom door. Grabbing some wipes, I scrubbed off all traces of muck and polished the silver fastenings.

" Zim?" I called again.

" Still here." he replied. " I'm done."

" Wow, that was quick." I said.

" I don't have hair, remember?"

" Oh yeah."

I opened the door a crack, but didn't look inside.

" I've got some clothes for you." I said. " I hope they fit."

" You did? Awesome!"

" I'll pass them through, okay?"

I stuck the folded clothes through the crack. A moment later, I felt a pair of hands brush mine as Zim grabbed the parcel.

" Thanks." he said.

I went back to the bedroom and changed the bloody sheets. I added another blanket over the sheet and fluffed up the pillows.

" Hey..." Zim called. " Whatcha doing?"

I turned around. Zim was standing the door frame, using the towel to pat his antenna dry.

The clothes fit perfectly on him, fitting snugly enough to show off his frame, but loose enough so that they didn't look like they were strangling him.

I smiled.

" You look nice." I said. Maroon flushed into Zim's cheeks.

" Nah, I don't..." he stammered, rubbing his neck.

I nodded toward the boots in the corner.

" You... you cleaned them?" Zim said in awe. The maroon flushed deeper.

" Yulari, I..."

Zim sighed and sat down on the floor.

" I'm treating you like a goddamned slave..."

I laughed.

" Hey, I'm doing this because I want to." I said. " Don't think for a second that you're overworking me. I should be doing way more for you."

Zim looked up and grinned. I saw that his eyes flutter slightly, as mine usually did after I took a warm relaxing bath.

" You're exhausted." I said. " The bed's ready if you want to take a nap."

Zim glanced at the sheets with a look of longing.

" Here..." I said, pulling him to his feet. I unrolled the covers and let him crawl inside.

" Now..." I sighed as he sunk into the pillows. " I'm going to go fix up the barn. I'll be coming in and out of the house, so just shout if you need me. Actually..."

I went over to my toy chest and produced a pair of walkie-talkies.

" Here." I handed one to Zim. " You need anything at all, just call. Other than that, get some rest, okay?"

" Mmm..." Zim replied, his eyes already closed.

I smiled and placed a hand on his forehead.

" Goodnight."

" Thank you, Yulari..."

I turned and exited the room. as I closed the door behind me, I paused and listened to Zim's deep breathing. It sounded normal, with no short gasps or wet noises or-

_Jeez!_ I thought. _Stop worrying!_

I shook my head sharply.

On my way out the door, I grabbed a few more sheets, a broom and some old pillows with rips and tears that my mom wanted to throw out. I gathered everything into a bag.

Outside, I saw an old mattress propped up against the garage and got an idea.

" Ho am I going to get it to the barn?" I wondered. " Hm... maybe..."

I took strips of ropes and slung the mattress over my shoulders. The weight sunk me lower, but I managed to walk without tripping.

As soon as I got to the barn and set everything down, the walkie-talkie began to beep.

" Zim?" I asked, speaking into the object.

The line was full of static, but I could hear a loud rasp on the other end.

" Yulari..." Zim moaned. " Something's wrong..."

This statement was followed by a wet-sounding cough, and the line went dead.

" Shit!" I screamed, dropping the walkie-talkie. At a full sprint, I ran back to the house. I slammed open the front door and exploded into my room.

" Zim!" I cried.

The alien was curled up on the bed, holding his stomach.

I was horrified to see a line of blood trickling out of his mouth.

" Yulari..." he gasped. " I can't breath!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Les dio su poder, y consigo, la capacidad de dominar América Central **

* * *

" Zim!" I cried.

In two seconds, I was by his side, flipping him onto his back.

" What happened?!" I asked. " What's wrong?!"

Zim spat of a glob of blood.

" I… can't breath!" he moaned. " I…. Yulari…"

I wiped blood away from his lips.

" Where?" I demanded.

" What?"

" Where does it hurt?"

Zim sucked in a breath and let loose a wail.

" Argh! My lungs!"

I folded up his shirt and gently ran my fingers over his stomach.

" Tell me when it's the most painful." I said.

Truthfully, inside I was panicking. I wanted to just dropped on the floor, put my hands over my head and let someone else deal with all this moaning and blood.

But there wasn't anyone else. It was just me.

So I had to act calm, for Zim's sake.

I prodded Zim's ribcage and about halfway down, he let out a shriek so horrible, I jumped.

" Th-there?" I stammered.

Zim was pale, but he managed a nod.

I inspected the area closely. There was a small lump protruding from the skin, rising up about an inch.

" Shit." I swore.

Things were starting to look a lost worse

" Shit, shit, shit…" I said again.

" What?" Zim rasped.

I pinched myself harshly on the arm for two reasons.

One, to keep myself focused.

And two, as punishment for being so blind.

" Oh Zim!" I wailed, a tear racing down my cheek. " Oh god, I'm so sorry!"

" What?"

I gently rubbed the area where the lump was.

" It's a broken rib." I moaned. " I didn't notice it before because it was still in place, but I guess through everything that's happened recently, it shifted, and…"

I hiccuped. Another tear fell down, and I buried my face in my bloodied hands.

" I'm so sorry! I'm a failure!"

Zim just stared up at me. After a moment, he took in a deep breath and asked, in a shaky voice: " How… bad?"

I lifted my gaze.

" I… it… I think your rib may be punctured."

Zim went limp and stared at the ceiling.

I wiped my eyes, getting over my breakdown, and I began to realize what I needed to do.

Wordlessly, I went into the bathroom and grabbed some soap and hand towels.

Placing them beside my bed, I went into the kitchen and retrieved some painkiller pills, a glass of water, a needle and a spool of thread.

I went back into my room and placed everything on my nightstand.

I returned to the kitchen, and with great hesitation, I grabbed a thin cutting knife. Through the window, I used the knife to cut a small chunk of wood from the yard tree, and I snagged a roll of bandages on my way back to the room.

As I set everything up in front of me, Zim watched me through glazed eyes.

" Yulari…? he whispered.

" I have to reset the rib." I said, my voice wavering. " If I don't, that lung will be damaged."

Zim stiffened. His eyes flickered down to the knife.

His eyes widened in understanding.

" No..." he whimpered.

" I have to."

Zim opened his mouth to argue some more, but then I could literally see the gears whirling in his head as he thought the situation over.

" I can't take you to a doctor." I said. " Showing you to my mom is out of the option. This rib needs to be set, and it has to be done fast, okay?"

Zim just stared at me.

" Im not going to do this without your okay." I added gently. " If you want, I can push it back as much as I can and wrap up the area, but I can't promise that it'll heal correctl-"

" Do it."

" ... Wait, what?"

" Do it."

Zim closed his eyes and buried the side of his face into the pillow.

" Goddamn it, just do it!"

Startled, I touched his shoulder.

" Are you sure?"

Zim opened an eye, and I could tell that no, he _really _didn't want to do this.

But it was also the only good choice.

I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, so I had spent hours of the school year pouring over medical books and studying everything there was to know about operations, medicine and caring for the sick.

But those studies had been about humans. This was an alien. It didn't help that I knew the species was Irken, the information was totally useless to me since I still didn't know what the inside consisted of.

But, seeing Zim in pain made me decided to do it anyway. If it went wrong, there was a chance that he may be seriously hurt.

However, the _possible _chance of failure was a lot better than the _certain_ chance of severe lung damage if I didn't do anything.

Besides, as sick as it would sound, this was an interesting experiment.

After slipping off Zim's shirt, I washed the area with water and soap and cleaned the knife multiple times. I slid a towel underneath him to catch the blood that I was sure was going to fall.

" Zim?" I asked.

His face had gone deathly pale. It was frightening. I remembered his skin being about five shades darker than the sickly white color it was now.

" Zim!" I cried, patting his cheek when he didn't respond the first time.

Slowly, his eyes flickered over to me.

" Yeah...?" he whispered.

I squeezed his hand gently and ran a hand over his brow.

" Are you going to be okay? It'll be over before you know it."

Zim's eyes fluttered for a moment, the shock being a bit too much for him, but he eventually got ahold of himself again and gave me a weak and totally forced smile.

" I'm good." he rasped, sounding on the verge of tears. " I'm good..."

I gave his hand another squeeze, and wordlessly, I held up the piece of wood.

Zim didn't say anything, but I saw the look of gratitude in his eyes. He took the wood from my hand and gently set it between his sharp canines.

I gave the injured area a final wash and, picking up the knife, and gave Zim a final questioning look.

He just squeezed his eyes together and nodded sharply.

I took in a huge breath.

" Here it goes..."

I lowered the knife and made the first cut.

* * *

I was surprised at how strong Irken skin was. It was thick, which was probably why Zim had walked out of the crash with few major cuts.

But for me, it turned out to create a challenge.

I had to push hard on the knife to break the first layer of skin. The incision was thin, so with a sick feeling in my stomach, I took the knife and cut it into a crescent moon shape.

I heard Zim give out a sharp cry, with was muffled by the wood. I didn't want to break my focus, so I didn't turn to look.

The next thing I needed to do was cut into the muscle and then peel both layers back to get to the ribs. I knew that once I made the first cut into the muscle, at lot of blood was going to start gushing out, so I had to do the rest of the procedure very quickly. I didn't need Zim suffering from blood loss as well, since his blood type was completely different than a humans and I wouldn't be able donate any.

Gritting my teeth, I plunged the knife down. There was a horrible squelching noise as the blade cut through the muscle.

Zim's entire body stiffened. I risked a glance, and saw him staring up at the ceiling with huge eyes. The piece of wood was clamped tightly in his jaws.

Trying to ignore the feelings of panic, I returned my attention to the task and began to peel back the layers.

Blood burst from the wound and engulfed my hands. Forcing myself to continue, I wiped up the cascade with a hand towel and cut in further.

Zim moaned. His fingers grabbed at the sheets, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hands into tight fists around the covers.

" I'm almost there..." I said. " Hang on..."

As I pulled back the muscle, something white jutted out from the bloodied mass.

" Ah." I said. " There it is."

The bone was sticking straight up, and with further cutting, I finally got to the ribs. From what I could see, Irken bone structures in the chest area were a lot like a humans.

I didn't want to go in too far, so I looked around for a bit to figure out where the rib had snapped off from and eventually, I found the spot.

" Zim?" I said gently. " I have to push it back in, okay?"

Zim didn't respond, but I seriously didn't blame him.

Blood was falling off the bed and staining the carpet. With a growl, I placed two fingers on the protruding bone and slowly pushed it down.

Zim let out a shriek. I expected him to start thrashing, so prepared myself to hold him down.

But he didn't. If anything, he went even more ridged.

I pushed the bone down further. I felt sick that I was seeing Zim's insides, but at the same time, I was glad to see that nothing looked horribly damaged.

Finally, I brought the two shards of bone together and put them back in their proper places. The bone had been broken in a relatively clean way, so when it was placed back, it stayed there without shifting.

" Okay..." I mumbled, pushing hair back from my face. " Zim, can you breath better?"

It took a couple of tries, but I was eventually able to get Zim to hear me. He took in a deep breath, and nodded.

" I don't think the rib puncture the lung." I said. " I think it just pressed on the outside."

Zim nodded, but his face was getting paler by the second.

Gently, I folded the muscle back over the bone and placed the skin into its place.

" I'm almost done." I said.

I was extremely relived. The entire operation had gone without a single flaw, and I was able to return the rib to its proper position. Now came an easy part, but it would be one of the more painful ones for poor Zim.

I wiped my hands off as best I could and retrieved the needle and thread.

It took me a couple of minutes to place the thread in the needle, much to my frustration.

" Zim?" I asked. He opened a glazed-over eye.

" You're very brave."

Zim shook his head slightly, a tiny smile playing on his lips.

" I'm serious." I insited. " You're _extremely_ brave."

" No..." Zim whispered. " I'm not."

Taking in a deep breath, I pushed the needle through the side of the wound. Zim winced, but was otherwise still.

The task took a little bit over an hour. I pushed and pulled the needle through his skin, creating a series of tight, neat stitches over the cut.

Finally, exhausted, I tied the end of the thread and snapped off the remainder.

" Done..." I gasped, wiping my forehead. " It's done."

Silence.

" Zim?" I asked, turning to look at my friend.

His face was covered in sweat. His skin, which was originally the color of apples, was now the color of pale jade.

Magenta eyes were open at half slits, staring off toward the wall.

" Zim?" I asked again.

After a horrible moment of no reaction, Zim slowly turned his head and looked at me.

" ... yeah?" he whispered, his voice so quiet, I barely heard it.

I grabbed the painkillers and the glass of water.

" Here..." I said. " Can you sit up?"

Zim couldn't do it by himself, but after failed attempts, he used his P.A.K legs to get into an upright position.

" Try not to move, okay?" I said, handing him the pill. " I still have to bind your stomach so that the rib can heal properly."

" ... bind?"

" Put a piece of wood on either side of your body and wrap bandages around it like a boss."

Zim chuckled, but I noticed how his entire body trembled. He wasn't even able to lift his arm up to swallow the pill.

" Here..." I said gently, placing the pill into his mouth and raising the glass to his lips. " This should start working in an hour or so, so try to take it easy until then, okay?"

Zim nodded mutely.

" ... Yulari?" he whispered.

" Hm?"

" ... Thank you... thank you so much..."

I shook my head, smiling.

" I'm going to clean up this mess, okay?" I said. " After that, I'll bind your injured area and you can get some sleep."

" Alright."

The color was slowly returning to Zim's face, and I was pleased to notice a failure glint in his eyes.

" Hey, Zim?" I asked.

" Mm?"

" I'm... really sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you, I'm sorry that you got into this mess, I'm... sorry for... everything..."

Zim tilted his head.

" Sorry?" he said. " Sorry? Yulari, you just...saved my life like... three times. Sorry? For what?"

" You don't deserve this." I sighed. " You're a good person."

" Do you believe in karma?"

" Huh?"

" If karma is true, then I totally deserve this."

" Don't say that!" I said, pinching his cheek.

" But it's true."

" You're feeling better?"

" Much."

" Hm..." I said. " I guess the painkiller works faster on Irkens."

" That's good, right?"

" It's not fair is what it is."

Zim laughed, but ended up coughing halfway through.

" Take it easy..." I said, placing a hand on his chest. " You know, I'll bind this right now."

" Okay."

I went into the kitchen, and after rooting around for a bit, came back with two rulers.

" It's the best I could do..." I said.

I placed the rulers on either side of his body and began to wrap them up with bandages.

" How you feeling?" I asked Zim while I worked.

" Sleepy." he said truthfully.

I finished and broke of the remaining pieces of bandage.

" You sure you'e okay?" I asked.

" No." Zim replied. " But I'm not going to be an ass and complain about it."

" Zim! If something hurts, you have to tell me!"

" I'm just sore. That's all..."

I sighed.

" I can help you clean if you want..." Zim offered.

" No, you just stay there." I said. " I just need to wash off the blood and change the sheets later on..."

I went about my task, ignoring the exhaustion in my body. Whatever I was feeling, Zim was ten times worse.

" Zim?" I called. " You okay?"

No answer.

" Zim?" I called, poking my head back into the room.

He was asleep, his head resting on the pillow sideways and he kept his body straight. With a smile, I pulled a chair from the kitchen and sat at his bedside.

" I'm glad you're feeling better..." I said softly. " You've been through hell, huh?"

Out of curiosity, I lay my head down on the part of Zim's chest that wasn't bandaged and listened to his heart.

" Sounds a lot like a human heart." I mused to myself.

His skin was warm and I was tired. With a sigh, I felt my eyes close.

_Just a quick nap_... I thought. _Just a quick..._

Darkness overtook me and I was plunged into the world of dreams.

* * *

My eyes opened and realized how dark the room was.

" Mmph..." I groaned to myself. " What time is it?"

" Eight or something." came a voice. " You slept for a while."

Startled, I shifted my head to follow the noise. A pair of ruby orbs glittered from the dark and winked at me.

" Had nice dreams?" Zim said cheekily.

I looked down and realized that I was still laying on his chest.

" Whoa! Crap!" I said, jumping back. " I'm sorry!"

Zim laughed. I heard the noise, even if my eyes weren't adjusted to the dark quite yet.

" Yulari! Chill out!"

" Jesus, have you been awake this whole time?" I asked, hoping that Zim wasn't able to see in the dark. If was, he would certainly notice my blush.

" No." Zim replied. " I woke up around six with a major headache. I saw you, decided that you had the right idea, and went back to sleep. I stayed asleep until about five minutes ago."

" Oh." I said, the blush disappearing. " How are you feeling?"

" Kinda lousy." Zim said. " I think the painkiller is wearing off."

" Hmm..." I said, placing a head on his forehead. " You're kind of warm. Is that normal?"

" I don't think so."

" I _really_ hope you don't get a fever." I said. " That would be very bad."

Zim used his elbows to slid into a sitting position.

" I can't belive it's so late..." I said, rubbing my eyes.

" We both slept for a while." Zim replied. " I guess that was normal."

" Still..." I said. " Isn't it weird? We both woke up around the same time."

" Mmm..." Zim said. " I think I woke up because I heard something outside."

" What?" I asked. " Outside?"

" Yeah." Zim said. " Like a door slam or something-"

Suddenly, I heard a tingling noise, like little bells.

" Bells?" I said. " Am I still dreaming?"

I went to the window and peeked out.

" No, I hear it too." Zim said, tilting his head. " What is that, a fairy or something-"

I gasped.

" What?" Zim asked. " What's wrong?"

" Those... those aren't bells..." I whispered, the color draining from my face. " They're keys..."

I turned around, panic raging in my chest.

" It's my mom!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Todo iba bien para los aztecas,**

* * *

A horrible feeling welled up in my chest.

" She's home!" I hissed. " I forgot that she was coming home!"

Zim paled and ducked down lower into the covers.

" What do we do?" he whispered.

" Uh..." I said, glancing around the room. I saw the window.

" Zim?" I asked. " Can you move?"

Zim winced as he tried to stand, but using the support of the wall, he was able to take a step.

" Urgh... Not for long..." he gasped. " I can't... stay up..."

" Okay..." I said. " Can you at least make it to the window?"

Zim wobbled dangerously, and I had to quickly dive to his rescue as his knees gave way.

" OOMF!" he grunted, landing on my stomach as I shot underneath him to break his fall.

" Ow." I said.

Slowly, I propped Zim up against the wall and checked his bandages.

" Zim..." I said. " I know you've just been cut open, and you're in a lot of pain, but if I give you another pill, _can you climb out the window_? This is _really_ important, okay?"

Zim blinked a few times. His eyes had become glazed over, and he was starting to shake again.

" Oh no..." I groaned, reaching for the pills.

I tilted Zim's head back and dropped in one of the ibuprofen tablets, pouring water through his lips right after.

Zim sputtered for a moment, and then swallowed the medicine.

" Zim?" I asked timidly. " Are you okay?"

Zim's eyelids fluttered for a moment.

" No! Don't faint right now!" I cried, slapping his face. " Stay awake!"

" Ow..." Zim wined, wincing. Slowly, the focus returned to his gaze.

" Yulari?" he said, looking at me with confusion like he had just noticed me. "What-?"

I snapped my head around as the obvious sound of an opening door echoed through the house.

" Yulaaaaaaaari!" my mother called.

" Crap." I hissed. " This is bad!"

Zim moaned and rolled his head back.

" Unnnnngh, the room... it's spinning..."

I let out air through my nose in a quick burst of frustration.

It looked like Zim had lost more blood than I had first assumed.

_Blood..._

With a gasp, I looked down on at the carpet. I had forgotten to clean up the stain.

" AW CRAP!" I hissed.

I couldn't worry about that now. I had a bigger problem.

" I'm going to carry you as far as I can…" I said. " But then, you need to crawl out of the window, okay?"

" I… uuuuhhhhhhhhggg…" Zim moaned. " Yulari…"

" Come on!" I said, hoisting him up. " You can do it, come on!"

Slowly, I half dragged, half walked him to the window, where I tore off a small piece of the tarp.

In the hall, I could hear my mother's heels clicking on the wood as she walked towards my room.

" Yulaaaaari!" she called again.

" I'm here mom!" I cried. " Don't come in, I'm…uh… changing!"

Even though he was weak and trembling, Zim looked at me and raised his brows.

" Pervert." I growled, playfully pinching his cheek.

" Mmm…" Zim said, bowing his head tiredly.

The footsteps outside my door paused.

" You okay?" asked my mom.

" Yeah!" I replied. " Just don't come in!"

I turned back to the window.

" Go!" I hissed. " Use the P.A.K thingies!"

Zim shuddered, but grabbed onto the window sill and pulled himself halfway out.

" Yulari…" he whispered. " I don't think… I'll make it…"

I placed my hand on his back and gently urged him forward.

" I'll stall my mom, and I'll go with you to the barn." I promised. " Just get yourself outside."

Zim nodded.

" Yulari!" my mom called. The doorknob rattled.

" Crap! GO!" I whispered.

Not waiting to see if he actually went or not, I turned and dumped a load of blankets on the bloody spot and hid all of the bloody rags and towels in my laundry hamper.

The door opened and my mom peeked through.

" Are you okay?" she asked. " And you haven't changed! You're still covered in that red mud!"

I looked down at myself and fought the urge to swear.

I also fought the urge to glance at the window to see if Zim had escaped.

" Yeah…." I said slowly. " Well, when I said I was changing, I meant…"

An idea popped into my head.

" I was getting ready for a campout!"

My mom gave me a weird look.

" What?"

" Well, it's a clear night, so I thought that I would go sleep outside, you know? Rough it for the weekend."

" Um…"

" Oh, come on mom!" I begged. " It'll be an adventure!"

"Be careful then, okay?"

I couldn't believe that she had actually agreed to my idea, so I stood there for a moment.

" Wait, what?"

" Be careful out there. You're old enough to camp out by yourself, and you won't be leaving the property, so I don't see why you can't-"

" OHMYGODTHANKYOUSOMUCHI'LLSEEYOULATERTHENGOODBYE!" I shrieked, rushing past her and out the front door.

I bolted to my window and glanced underneath it.

A figure was curled up tightly, trying to hide in the shadows.

" Zim!" I cried.

The figure lifted up his head.

" Yulari…" he said, relief flooding into his voice.

I bent over Zim and lifted him up.

" Are you okay?" I asked.

Zim shook his head.

" I feel sick…"

" But, are you sore?"

" Not so much…"

" Those pills are working. Let's get you to the barn."

It was hard to navigate through the dark. I was afraid of tripping or falling down, since Zim was already pretty beat-up.

Eventually, we reached out destination, and I remembered the materials that I had propped up against the barn.

" Lay down for a bit…" I said to Zim. " There's something I need to do."

After settling Zim down on his hay-bed, I went back outside and brought in the mattress and all the other objects.

I set up a bed in the corner of the room, surrounded by pillows and heaped with thin blankets.

Zim watched me as I used the broom to sweep up the loose bits of straw around the room.

" Zim?" I said. " This bed looks more comfortable."

Zim nodded.

Using his P.A.K legs, he managed to stand up and stagger over to the mattress.

" Alright…" I sighed, helping him into the covers. " You feeling okay?"

Zim's face was streaked with sweat, and he shook his head soundlessly at my question.

" What's wrong?"

Zim simply closed his eyes tightly.

Sitting beside his bed, I buried my face in my hands.

" I can't do this…" I whispered. " This is so stressful…"

Zim looked up at me.

" You don't have to-"

" No, it's not that. It's just… I can't do this by myself. I can't keep you hidden for long like this. When I'm gone to school, or on a trip, what am I going to to?"

I groaned and lay back.

" Zim, I can't do this. Not without help. If only some else had been with me when you crashed, then maybe-"

I stopped.

" Yulari, I don't want to put pressure on you." Zim said quietly, struggling to get up. " I can just-"

" No, wait a minute." I hushed. "Why didn't I think about this before?"

I sat up.

" Lani!" I cried. " Why didn't I think of Lani?"

" Lani?" Zim asked, his eyes glazed over. " Who?"

" She's a friend of mine." I explained. "She lives nearby. If anyone could keep a secret, it would be her, but…"

I groaned and slapped my face.

" No, no, no… what am I thinking? I can't just reveal you to someone else, that would put your life in jepor-"

Zim reached over and touched my arm weakly, shattering my thoughts.

" Yulari…" he mumbled. " I don't care. If you can trust her, then so will I."

I stared at him.

" Are you sure?"

Zim nodded.

" Okay, I'll call her…" I said. " But I'm only doing this because I don't really have a choice."

" Mmm…"

I rummaged around in my pocket and was relived to find that my phone was there. I didn't want to risk another run back to the house.

There was no connection inside the barn, so I had to step outside and walk aroud for a bit.

" Come on…" I whispered. " Start working now…"

**Beep**, went the phone.

" Lani?" I asked, holding up the device.

I heard a groan on the other end.

" Mmm, yeah? Whoisit?"

She sounded like I had just woken her up.

" Lani!" I said again, a little louder.

" Huh? Oh, it's you, Yulari! How's it goin'? You _do_ know what time it is, right?"

" Yeah." I said quickly. " Lani, I need to-"

" Sorry I didn't come over today." Lani continued. " I'll try tomorrow, you know? The movie was good, by the way. Man, those aliens were _ugly!_ I wonder if that's what aliens actually do, you know, experiment and talk in weird tongues? If I ever got stuck on a ship, I think I'd bust out my ninja-magic, because it might astound them so much, I can escape, you see? And-"

" LANI!" I cried, shaking the phone. " LISTEN!"

" Jeez, hold your frijoles! What's the squeeze here, you calling me at nine? See, if I ever did this to _you_, you'd-"

" Lani, remember what I was talking about on friday?" I said, deciding just to get it over and done with.

" Yeah, you were talking about the movie and aztecs and stuff."

" Remember what you said to me?"

" About coming over? No, wait…. 'If you find a nice alien, let me know,' wait, no….."

" Lani, if I told you a secret, I mean, a really _big_ secret, one that would change the world, would you swear to keep it safe?"

Lani wasn't joking around anymore. She could tell when something was up.

" What's going on, Yulari?"

" Lani…" I said, licking my dry lips. " On friday night, I was just in my room, and I looked outside and saw this star, you know?"

I shuddered, but I went forward with the story.

" But, it got closer, and so I thought it was a meteor. Then, things started falling off shelves, the thing crashed, and I went outside to see it, but it wasn't a meteor, it was a…. a…."

I swallowed.

_Here it goes_...

" It was a space ship." I whispered. " A real one, I swear… And, I didn't know what to do, but I went over to it, and-"

" I'm coming over."

" … wait, what?"

" I'm coming over." Lani said again, her voice flat.

" Wha- when?"

" Right now."

The line went dead.

I stood there, staring at the phone for a while.

And then I turned around and bolted back to the barn.

" OHGAWD!" I said, opening the door.

" What?" Zim asked, sitting up. " What is it?"

His eyes got wider.

" Don't tell me..." he groaned. " She's going to tell-"

" No." I relied. " She's coming over."

" ... wait what?"

" I know, that's what _I _said." I groaned. " It's like, eight at night or something, right?"

" Nine."

" Whatever."

Zim laid back on the mattress and sighed.

" I feel like hell."

" Well, I'm sorry. I can't go back and get the painkillers, or my mom will get suspicious. How am I going to explain that I have an alien in my barn, huh?"

Zim smiled.

" You'll figure it out."

" No, I will _not_."

I checked the lamps and sighed.

" I'm going to go wait for her."

" In the dark?"

" I'll have a- CRAP, I FORGOT MY FLASHLIGHT!"

I smacked myself a couple of times.

" DAMN IT!"

" Jeez, calm down..." Zim said, staring at me. " Just go get another one."

" Didn't we _just_ have this conversation?"

" No, we were talking about painkillers-"

" ARGH! SHUT UP!"

He was very annoying sometimes.

" Well, if you need anything..." I said. " Just scream really loudly. I'll think of something to say to my mom."

" Mmm... okay? But... fine, whatever."

" Eh, is your rib okay?"

" It's good."

" Are you sure? Because, if it shifted again, I'm going to have to-"

" Weren't you just leaving?"

I was going to go insane if I stayed there any longer, so I simply turned around and marched out the door.

I walked by the house and tried to be as quiet as possible as I passed it. The light was still on, so I assumed that my mother was reading.

I eventually arrived at the front of the property, where I pulled up an old tree stump and sat down to wait.

It was dark, it was cold, and an hour into my vigil, I was starting to have second thoughts about the plan when I saw a small light bobbing over the hill on my far right.

I stood up and peered at the object, which, as it came closer, I realized to be a bike with a flashlight tapped to the front.

" Lani!" I whispered, even though I knew she couldn't hear my overly quiet voice.

The bike drew up beside me, and the figure riding on top of it jumped off and unclipped her helmet.

" Yulari!" Lani grinned. " How are you? Were you telling the truth? Can I see the spaceship?"

" Lani, what are you thinking?!" I hissed. " You're mom's gonna _flip_ when she finds you gone-"

" I left her a note." Lani said a-matter-of-factly. " I do this all the time."

" Seriously?"

" Hu-huh. She trusts me."

" Hm..." I said, but I decided to drop the subject and I waved Lani over.

" Come with me." I said quietly. " But make no noise, or my mom will hear."

" She doesn't know?"

" Hell no! You think I'd tell my mom about this?"

" Mmmm, right..." Lani said excitedly as she bounded up the path beside me. " I wouldn't tell my mom about a spaceship in my backyard either. Where is it? Are you hiding it?"

" Okay, Lani..." I sighed, stopping. " There's something I need to say."

" Mm-hm." Lani said, smiling at me. " What is it?"

" Uh, I don't really know how to put this..." I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. " But, it isn't the ship I'm worried about..."

" Why not?" Lani asked. " I mean, it's not everyday that a spaceship crashes into your backyard! It belonged to aliens probably, you know! What if-"

Lani cut off and her eyes widened.

" Aliens..." she whispered. " Yulari, there wasn't... there wasn't an _alien_ in there, right? Tell me there wasn't..."

The look on my face told her everything.

" Oh. My. GOD!" she shrieked, jumping back. " Yulari! What-! Where?! Did it try to hurt you? Where is it locked up? What does it look like? What language does it speak, is it ugly, what gender is it can it breath fire isitthisisitthatYULARIAREYOUOKAY!?

My head was spinning from all her questions, and I reached over and clamped a hand over her mouth.

" SHHH!" I hissed. " SHUT UP! I'm sorry, but you really need to be quiet!"

Lani nodded quickly.

" Where is it?" she whispered. " Is it trapped in the ship?"

" Noooo..." I said slowly. " I... uh... You know what? Let's go talk to him."

" Him?"

" Yes." I replied, walking past the house. " Him. His name is Zim."

" Zim- Yulari... you didn't actually... _talk_ to it, did you?"

" He can be a real ass sometimes, but then, most humans are worse.

" YULARI!"

" What? He's nice! I saved him from the crash, and I'm hiding him in the barn."

" Yulari, you need to tell the police-"

" No way!" I growled. " Lani, I called you over because I'm up to my EARS in stress! He almost was discovered my my mom an hour or two ago when I fell asleep and left the room all bloody an-"

" Bloody?!"

" He had a broken rib and I... long story. ANYWAY, I need some help."

" Help? With what? Did it try to hurt you?"

" Lani..." I groaned as I reached the barn. " _Try_ not to do anything stupid, okay?"

I opened the door and peeked inside.

" Zim?" I called. " You not dead yet?"

From the shadows, there came a short laugh.

" Still going down that road." Zim replied. " But I'm working back towards recovery."

Lani took in a sharp breath from beside me.

" Yulari?" Zim asked. " Is that you're friend?"

" Yep." I said, yanking Lani into the barn. " Zim, meet Lani. Lani, meet Zim."

Lani whimpered.

" Oh, CHILL OUT!" I complained. " Zim, say something to break the ice, will you?"

" Uh... crack?" Zim said timidly. I snorted.

" Break the ice means break the tension in the air, dumbass. Say something friendly."

" Okay... hello?"

" Close enough." I said, grabbing Lani's hand and marching over to the spot where Zim was hidden. " Peek you head out so Lani can see you. She's going through a phase right now of total and complete shock."

Zim chuckled. His eyes became suddenly visible in the darkness.

Lani cried out and jumped away as fast as she could.

Zim leaned out of the shadows and exposed his whole face.

" Hm..." he said, staring at Lani. " She's jumpy."

" _You're_ jumpy." I replied. " Now say hello."

" Hello."

" Good! Lani..."

" Uh... he-he-helllooooo..." Lani whispered, trembling. Zim laughed.

He shifted his weight so that he sat in a patch of light. Beside me, I could sense Lani's tension draining away.

" Oh..." she said quietly. " You don't look... like one of those... _those_ kinds of aliens."

Zim tilted his head.

" What do you mean?"

" She means the little grey ones that experiment on people and fly around in ships that look like dinner plates." I said bluntly.

Zim winked at me.

" Experiment huh? Ring a bell?"

" Oh, shut up!" I growled. " I wouldn't have cut you open unless I had no other choice!"

" Cut him- Yulari?"

" Right, I had to operate on Zim a while back." I explained. " One of his ribs was piercing his lungs."

" But... operate?"

" Yeah it was messy. I don't want to talk about it..."

Lani leaned over and reached out her hand. Her fingers hovered an inch over Zim's cheek.

" Uh..." she said, blushing and pulling her hand back. " Sorry, I'm just-"

" Lani, he's not going to bite you!" I groaned, yanking her hand back. " Probably."

Lani gave me a looked and traced her fingers from the top of Zim's temple to the bottom of his jaw.

" Wow..." Lani breathed. " Your skin is really soft..."

" Ye-ah..." Zim said slowly, giving Lani a weird look. " I guess it is..."

I giggled to myself at the situation.

" So... Zim?" I asked, kneeling down at his level. " You seem to be feeling better."

Zim nodded.

" I think the painkillers were just taking a while to kick in..."

I reached over and felt his forehead. I frowned at the heat that his skin gave off.

" Hm... you're warm..." I mused. " Do you feel any sort of weakness?"

" Yes, but I thought that was just because of the blood-loss..."

" Lay down." I ordered.

Zim flopped back onto the covers with a sigh.

" Ow."

" Hm..." I said. " I'll check your temperature tomorrow to see if it's gone down. This may just be the way your body's dealing with the stress of the last few days.

I placed my hand over his stomach and gently felt his side areas.

" Any more pains?" I asked. Zim shook his head.

" And this?" I asked, gently poking the broken rib. Zim winced, but didn't jerk away.

" No, it feels better."

" Do you feel like there's something inside your skin? Like a rouge shard of metal or glass?"

" No."

" Do you have trouble breathing or are your thoughts fuzzy at random times?"

" N-... sometimes."

" Sometimes?" I asked. " When did it happen?"

" After the operation..." Zim said. " And then when your mom came home and I had to go out the window... and then a few minutes ago, when you were waiting for Lani."

" Hm. Well, I think that's just because of blood-loss." I mumbled. " But I'll keep an eye on it in case it gets any worse, okay?"

Zim nodded.

" Are you tired?" I asked. Zim nodded again.

" I'll be outside, talking to Lani for a bit." I said, standing up. " I'll come back inside to keep you company when that's done. I told my mom that I'm camping outside for the night, so I can stay here and monitor your health. I don't want another scare like last time..."

Zim smiled.

" You're smart."

" I'm really not... I can't even read a page of homework without falling asleep-"

My eyes widened.

" Crap! My homework!"

Lani giggled.

"Ah, it's easy..." she said. " You just need to read about the aztecs and do some math."

" Do my homework for me, and I will pay you."

" Then how are you going to learn?"

" I'll have google to be my friend." I sniffed. I turned back to Zim and pulled the covers over him.

" Get some rest, okay?" I said. " You'll feel better in the morning."

Zim nodded and closed his eyes. Not wanting to wake him up, Lani and I tiptoed outside.

" I'll walk you to the front." I whispered, closing the barn door behind me. " I hope you aren't too tired to bike back..."

Lani's face literally glowed with excitement, and she was too emotionally to say anything back to me.

" This is amazing..." she said. " An actual alien, in your barn! And he's really nice!"

" Mmm..." I said. " I still think he can be an ass."

" Oh, _please_!" Lani groaned. " I would _kill_ to have a guy like that."

I snorted.

" Sure, so would I. But you do realize that Zim is way too old for you, right?"

Lani looked confused.

" He doesn't look any older than nineteen..."

" Sixteen..."

" Well, then wh-"

" ...In Irken years."

" Irken?" Lani asked. " Oh, that's what his race is called? Anyway, he's only a couple of years older than-"

" Lani, he's more than four-hundred years old, do you understand? Irken years are not the same as earth years."

Lani made the face of a goldfish.

" Oh." she said. " Oh dear."

" Oh dear indeed." I replied blandly.

" But he's so hot!" Lani whined.

" I'll say..." I growled. " If that fever doesn't let up soon, I'm going to have a huge problem on my hands. Zim needs to snap out of this."

Lani pouted and walked with a bad-tempered hunch.

" I feel like Bella from Twilight." she sighed. " I'm falling for a dude who's years ahead of me and isn't even a member of my species."

I patted her arm.

" Maybe he'll bite you and you can live happily ever after, huh?"

Lani punched me gently.

" Shut up, you cow."

" What? I'm trying to be helpful!"

" You can do that by being quiet!"

We snuck by the house and finally made it to the front gate.

" I'll come back tomorrow." Lani said as she mounted her bike. " I'll see if I can be of any help."

" Lani, you con't tell anyone about this, okay?" I said. " Not you're mom, not the police and not even yourself. Forget all about Zim until you come back here. At school, don't even _mention _him unless we're alone or I say something to you."

" Jealous." Lani smirked.

" I'm serious." I growled. " If _anyone_ learns about him, even if they don't believe it, his life will become at risk. Kids will come here just to see if the rumor is true, adults will come to tell my mom that I'm thinking up illusions and they'll scour the area to find something that would trigger such fantasies, which would eventually lead them to him. Please promise me, okay? This is important."

Lani looked at me and smiled.

" Not a word." she promised. The tension flooded out from my body.

" Thank you." I whispered. " I'll see you tomorrow..."

" Good night, Yulari." Lani said. " Take good care of him."

I watched as she rode over the hill, swallowed up by shadows.

Then, when I was sure she had disappeared, I turned and bolted back to the barn.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hasta su amado Dios desapareció**

* * *

Something sharp was poking into my back.

With a whine, I shifted in my sleep and tried to get into a more comfortable position.

The pokey thing just followed me.

With a groan, I decided to just remain where I was and deal with the uncomfortable object.

But it was very annoying, and eventually, my eyes fluttered open.

Light streamed down from a cracked wooden ceiling, the the scent of damp, musty straw filled my nostrils.

At first, I couldn't figure out where I was. Why wasn't I in the house?

_I'm in the barn..._ I suddenly remembered.

Second thought: _Why am I here again?_

_Oh yeah. Zim._

I found it weird that I kept forgetting that there was an alien on my property now. Kinda pathetic actually...

I sat up and rubbed my back. I noticed that I was sleeping on the hay pile that had first served as Zim's temporary bed.

" Ugh, no _wonder_ I had a bad night..." I groaned.

The piece of hay that had been bothering me was still stuck on my spine, so I peeled it off and mashed it beneath my heel.

" Now die." I said.

The hay didn't die.

" DAMN IT!" I growled, trying to rip it in two.

I only succeeded in cutting my fingers on the spiky reed.

Angrily, I threw the hay to the side and sucked on my bleeding digits.

" Stupid nature..." I hissed.

I was interrupted by a low moan from my right.

I yelped and jumped back, terrified.

" WHO'S THERE?" I screamed.

The second I said that, I wanted to slap myself.

" Oh. Sorry Zim." I said sheepishly.

The alien didn't answer.

" Zim?" I asked.

Another moan pierced the dark.

" Zim!" I cried, scrambling on hands and knees to the spot where my friend was lain.

I couldn't see anything, so I grabbed on of the lantern and fumbled for a match on the ground.

Finally getting a light, I held up the lantern and observed Zim's face.

He was pale and shaking. Sweat ran like rivers from his every pore, and his eyes were squeezed shut with pain.

" Zim!" I said, trying to wake him up.

Zim rocked back and forth, but he didn't open his eyes.

" Please..." he wailed. " Leave me alone! I never did anything!"

" Zim!" I shouted, shaking him.

" My Tallest!" Zim whimpered. " Don't do this!"

He was having a bad dream, and he wasn't waking up.

" ZIM!" I screamed. I pinched the skin on his shoulder to try and bring him back to reality.

His skin was like fire. Just touching it made a wave of warmth race through my veins.

But it wasn't a good warmth. It was one of sickness.

I touched his face. Even without a thermometer, I could tell that his temperature was off the charts.

With a sinking feeling, I realized that my worst fear was now truth.

Fever.

" Zim!" I cried. " Wake up!"

Zim moaned again and dropped his head to his chest.

" Don't kill me..."

I panicked. Getting to my feet, I raced outside the barn and yanked my phone out of my pocket.

The sky was red, and the sun was just starting to peak on the horizon.

_She should be awake..._

" Come on..." I whispered.

**Beep**, went the phone.

" LANI!" I screamed before my friend could say hello. " YOU NEED TO COME OVER RIGHT NOW!"

" Wha- what the flub?" Lani asked. " Wait, the alien is still there, right? Oh man, did he try to-"

" HE HAS A FEVER AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO HE ISN'T WAKING UP PLEASE COME HERE QUICK!"

" JESUS! Calm down!" Lani yelped. " I'm on my way. Try to put something cool on his face and keep him away from any heat sources."

" Get here fast!"

" I'll bring some stuff."

I hung up the phone and made a sprint for the house. I didn't want to attract my mom's attention, so I climbed in through my window.

Desperately, I scanned the room for anything that may help in the situation.

_Oo, a bucket! Useful!_

_Ah, some rags! Very good!_

_An ice pack? Why the hell did I have that in my room?_

Oh well.

I grabbed all these things and climbed back out of my window. I paused by the side of the house to fill up the bucket with the hose.

I staggered back to barn and looked through the door, hoping to see Zim sitting up or at least opening his eyes.

Instead, I saw a line of blood streaking out from the corner of his mouth.

" CRAAAAAAP!" I screamed, rushing to his side. I lit a few of the lanterns and gently wiped Zim's face with a damp towel.

" Oh please..." I whispered. " Wake up!"

Zim moaned again, but this time it was softer.

I felt like I was getting somewhere. Absentmindedly, I passed the wet rag over Zim's burning shoulders. My hand barely scrapped up against his P.A.K.

" YEEEEEEEOOOOOWWWWCH!" I screamed, yanking my arm away and diving it into the bucket of water.

After a moment, I took my fingers out and observed the slightly red skin.

" Whew, nothing bad..." I groaned.

Zim's P.A.K felt like a nuclear reactor. It must be overheating due to his sickness, and making his condition worse than it already was.

I needed to get it off.

_Easier said than done.._.

I wrapped my hands in wet rags and grabbed onto the device by the sides. The water on the cloth began to evaporate in a hiss of steam, and the heat was getting steadily more intense.

" COME ON!" I found myself yelling, giving the P.A.K a good yank. I didn't know if I was hurting Zim, but I didn't want that thing on him for any longer than needed.

After a few more tries, the P.A.K finally detached with a small beep.

I quickly deposited it on the ground and buried my fingers in water again.

" Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow..." I groaned.

At least it was off. I really hoped that it hadn't made any permanent marks on Zim, though...

Glancing back over at my friend, who I assumed had fainted a while back, I realized with some relief that he was alright. The skin on his back was slightly redder than usual, but there were no black marks or scars that would indicate that he had just had a mega-heat source on his spine.

I was shocked for a moment about how well Irkens could tolerate such dangers.

Then I remembered Zim's tough skin, and I began to wonder what it was that his species actually did with their time in order to evolve such defenses.

" Man..." I said to myself, flipping Zim back over and mopping his steaming brow. " Humans really are a weak race in comparison to Irkens..."

A soft groan escaped Zim's lips, and to my delight, his magenta eyes opened into half-moon slits.

" Urg... Yu...la...ri?" he asked in a broken voice.

I nodded.

" You feeling better?" I asked. Zim closed his eyes again.

" Wh...at...?"

" Fever." I replied. " And your P.A.K was heating up."

Zim opened one eye and looked at me in alarm.

" My... P...A.K?"

" Does... does in not do that when you're sick?" I asked, also starting to feel uneasy.

Zim shook his head, and ended up wincing.

" Try not to move..." I said tenderly, placing the ice-pack on his chest. " You need to take it easy for a bit."

Zim opened his mouth to say something back, but in that moment, the barn door swung open and Lani ran in.

She looked absolutely freaked out, and she was carrying a large bag under one hand and a thin black box under the other.

" YULARI!" she cried. " HOW IS HE? TELL ME IS ISN'T DEAD! I GOT SOME STUFF, I THINK I CAN-"

She paused for a moment.

" He's awake." she said in a quieter tone.

I glanced back at Zim. Both his eyes were open now the full way, due to the shock of having someone suddenly barge in.

" Damn it Lani!" I swore. " You ever heard of knocking?"

Lani blush and rocked back and forth on her heels.

" Well, sorry..." she said. " I was just... worried... I didn't... I didn't think..."

She glanced over at Zim and blushed some more.

" Sorry Zim..." she said." I'm sorry."

Zim stared at her, and then smiled weakly.

" 's okay..." he replied, which caused Lani to blush some more.

I had to roll my eyes.

_Lani, don't you realize that you have a crush on a guy who isn't your same species, and is over four-hundred or something like that? Heck, whatever, I'll tease her a bit._

" Well, Lani, perfect timing..." I said, standing up. " I need you to do something for me while I run back to the house."

" What's that?" Lani asked, tilting her head.

I handed her a rag and pointed to the bucket.

" You need to keep Zim's temperature down." I replied. " It's important that he doesn't get another heat wave or something."

Zim sat up on his elbows. His voice was steadier and his eyes started to get back their healthy gleam.

" I would appreciate it." he said.

Lani glanced over my shoulder and saw that he didn't have his shirt on.

Her face turned pink.

" Oh! I- I don't know if-" she stammered.

" Come on." I groaned, pushing her towards the alien. " Don't be a wuss. He isn't going to bite you."

Lani whimpered and shook her head, all the while getting redder on her cheeks.

" I just don't feel like-"

She caught my smug expression and frowned.

" What are you-?"

Realization hit her, and her blush turned from embarrassment to anger.

" You're teasing me!" she hissed, clenching her fists.

" What? Phhht, naw!" I said, waving a dismissive hand. " Never! I just-"

" Yes, you are!" she spat. She shook the rag in my face.

" You're taking me out of my comfort zone! You _know _how I feel about-"

" Hey?" Zim said, startling both Lani and I into silence. " I don't... know what's bugging both of you, but... Lani, I understand. If you don't want to get any nearer, I know why."

Lani turned bright scarlet.

" You- you do?" she stammered, fiddling with her fingers.

Zim nodded.

" I't's because I'm an alien, right?" he asked. " You're just a little afraid of me..."

Lani gasped and shook her head vigorously.

" No no no! I'm not afraid of you!" she giggled. " No, I'm not! I'm just-"

" I guess I just assumed that you wouldn't mind. I mean, Yulari-"

" Yulari what?" Lani demanded, turning on me.

" She doesn't seem to mind touching me." Zim said, looking a little confused at Lani's anger. " I mean, she isn't afraid. I guess I just thought that's how all humans would react, but Yulari probably does what she does because she doesn't have much of a choice..."

" Choice? I-"

I sighed and rubbed my neck.

" I'm not teasing you, Lani..." I assured. " I know you're a little nervous, but Zim is very kind. He won't hurt you."

Lani let out a sharp breath.

" How do you do it, huh?" she asked.

" Beg pardon?"

" When Zim crashed into your backyard? You said you saved him. But many people would have been too afraid to get near an alien, because of all the stories. How is it that you can take care of him like this, without being freaked out? I don't mean it as an insult, but... how are you so strong?"

I stared at her.

" Strong?" I said. " No, no it isn't that. It was pity, mixed with compassion, and some insanity thrown in. I don't think of Zim as an alien..."

I smiled.

" I think of him as a living creature, the same as me. When we're equal, I don't need to be afraid. And besides, who would I be if I didn't help those who need it, regardless of race? I certainly wouldn't be able to call myself noble. And anyway, when I look at it from Zim's view, I'm an alien too."

I placed a hand on Lani's shoulder.

" If you feel uncomfortable right now being near an alien, I understand, but instead of cooling Zim down, I'll need you to sneak back into the house and get the medicine. I was hoping to do this myself because my mom doesn't know you're here, but someone needs to stay and someone needs to go. Can you handle it?"

Lani stared at me and then nodded slowly.

" Yeah... I'm good."

" Don't let her see you. No matter what. She'll know something is up."

" Alright."

" Godspeed to you, sister."

Lani raised an eyebrow at me and grinned.

" And the same to you."

Lani clenched her hands tight and exited the barn. With a sigh, I closed the doors behind her quietly.

" I just don't understand her sometimes..."

" Yulari."

Zim's voice was hard.

I glanced back over my shoulder with a start.

The alien was sitting up the full way, his hands in his lap, his eyes trained on me.

I had never seen that expression before. It was almost..

Awed.

" What?" I asked. " Did I say something bad?"

" Did you mean that?"

Now, what was this all about? What was he talking about?

" What do you mean?" I asked.

Zim drew his arms around himself and shuddered. At first, I was afraid that he had caught the chills.

Then I realized: He was crying.

" Zim!" I said. " Are you hurting? What's the matter?"

I knelt by his shaking form and placed a hand on his back.

" What happened?"

" I- I don't... I don't understand!" Zim wailed. " You're so kind! How can I force someone who so kind to do this?"

" Do what?"

" You're in danger!" Zim whimpered. " If the police find you, you'll be in trouble. If the Irkens find me here, you'll be killed! I can't do this too you..."

" I'm doing this because I want to."

" You can't do it for me."

I paused.

" I'm doing this because I want to." I repeated. " Not because you're forcing me to. Think about it. I could have left you for dead in that spaceship. I decided to help you. And now, I need to finish the job."

Zim wiped his eyes.

" Are you my friend?" he asked timidly.

I was taken aback.

" What?"

" Will you be my friend?"

I stared at him for a moment. And then, I laughed.

" I crawled into a smashed spaceship and pulled you out." I said. " I hid you in my backyard. I cut you open and readjusted your rib. I took care of you while you were sick."

I smiled.

" If that isn't friendship, then I don't know what is."

Zim broke into a huge grin, and before I could react, he leaned over and hugged me.

" Hey, careful!" I giggled. " You're going to hurt yourself!"

" Thank you..." Zim whispered softly. " For everything."

Without thinking, I looped my arms behind his shoulders and hugged him back.

" You're welcome, buddy..." I sighed.

I heard a cough from behind me.

" Um, guys?" Lani asked.

My cheeks turned red.

_Shit._

" I don't mean to interrupt, but I got the medicine." Lani continued.

Zim drew back and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

He didn't look embarrassed at all. In fact, he looked kind of...

Amused.

That made the embarrassed feeling go away.

" If it's any comfort to you." Zim said to me. " I don't feel like I'm going to hurl up my lungs anymore."

" That's great." I agreed.

I paused as Lani kneeled down beside me. I glanced over at her face, and was a little confused at her expression.

She didn't look angry, or jealous, like I expected her to be.

She looked over at me and grinned widely, with her usual happy expression.

_Oh. Weird._

" You two thanking each other?" she asked.

" Kind of." I replied. " Zim's going to crush his ribs if he isn't more careful."

Zim smiled.

" Then you'll have to operate again, eh?"

I made a face.

" Never again."

Lani laughed.

" I'm afraid of blood."

" Be glad you weren't there on the first night..." I sighed.

Lani just shrugged and handed the small vial to me. The orange liquid swished around inside.

" This is the child medicine." I said.

" We don't know if Zim can take the full-blast adult kind..." Lani told me. " It might kill him or make him really, really sick."

" I don't know if this will be strong enough."

" Let's find out, huh?"

I went over to Zim and showed him the back of the vial where the ingredients were displayed.

" Do you recognize any of these?" I asked. Zim nodded.

" Really?" I said, shocked.

" I think it'll be okay for me to take this." the alien commented. " Nothing there is toxic for me."

" Well, okay..." I said slowly. I turned to Lani, who had the little black box on her lap.

" What's that?" I asked. Lani rolled her eyes and popped the top of the box open.

" It's a computer, dumbass..." she sighed.

Oh.

Lani typed a few things on the keyboard. In a moment, she turned the screen so that I could see.

" How to deal with Fever..." I read. " Are you sure this'll be accurate for an alien?"

" Not the slightest." Lani replied. " Is that okay, Zim?"

Zim winked at her, which caused her to blush madly.

" Hell, let's do this the hard way." he grinned.

I rubbed my chin.

" I think a quarter will be okay..." I said, pouring the Motrin into the small serving cup. I handed it to Zim.

" Bottoms up." I smiled. Zim frowned.

" What's with the smug look?"

" You'll see."

Zim stared at the orange mixture, and with great hesitation, he flipped back his head and chugged it down.

A second after, he dropped the cup and fell onto his side gagging.

" Ah, shit!" he swore. " It's like drinking liquid Unicorn scat! What is that, melted candy?!"

" Orange-flavored Motrin." I replied. " I know, I hate it too."

Lani stuck her tongue out.

" It's too sweet!" she moaned. " I can never drink that stuff!"

Zim pretended to barf into his pillow.

" Oh, man up!" I groaned. " You had your stomach cut open and you didn't even scream, yet you can't take a little bit of ultra-sugary medicine?"

Zim swiped his long tongue over his lips and sat up.

" I don't understand earth remedies..." he said.

" Well, hopefully, that _remedy _will bring your fever down."

Zim gave me a smirk.

" Hopefully?"

" Yep. Let the magic happen. Lani, what does that website say to do?"

Lani peered at the screen thoughtfully.

" Ah... wipe skin with cool, damp cloth..." she read. " Eat ice or other cold food..."

" Alright..." I said, standing up. " Lani, I have some frozen blueberries in the fridge. Can you go get them? I'll stay here and-"

" No." Lani replied, taking the rag from my hand. " It's okay. I'll stay."

I stared at her in surprise.

" Are you sure?" I asked.

Lani gazed back at me with steady eyes. Her expression wasn't mad, or frightened, or jealous, or anything I expected it to be.

It was determined. She was determined to prove herself brave.

I smiled.

" Be gentle, but not overly shy." I instructed, pushing her over to Zim. " Start here-"

I placed her hand with the rag on Zim's chest.

" - and go like this..."

I guided her fingers over the green skin in a semi circle. Lani narrowed her eyes in concentration.

" I got it."

Zim closed his eyes and smiled.

" I'm being fussed over by girls." he said cheekily.

I pinched the tip of his antenna.

" Aw, shut up!" I groaned, forcing myself not to grin.

Zim just smiled wider.

" I'll be back soon, okay?" I said, walking to the door. " Don't let anyone else in."

" Yep."

As I turned away and stuck my head outside, I heard Lani clear her throat awkwardly.

" Sooo... what's outer space like?" she asked Zim. He chuckled.

" Well..."

I shook my head, smiling, and closed the door behind me.

I trotted up the dirt path that had been worn into the earth and arrived back at my house. After a moment of hesitation, I walked through the front door.

" Mom?" I called.

" Here!" trilled a voice. " How'd your camp-out go?"

_Great. _I was tempted to say._A piece of hay kept poking me all night, t__he alien that I've been secretly hiding in the barn had a fever attack, my best friend has a hopless romance, and I'm about to go insain._

" Fine." was all that I said.

" Good."

I snuck over to the kitchen and selected a bag of blueberries from the freezer.

" I'm going back out, okay?" I said.

" That's fine." my mother called. " Be careful."

I could hardly believe how easy the expedition had been. As I went back outside, I smiled smugly to myself.

" Piece of cake." I said.

Then I heard a growl to my left, and my heart stopped.

_Oh shit._

I turned and was greeted with a view of a large bull-dog standing a few feet away, saliva dripping from its jaws and its great red eyes rolling in its sockets.

" Damn." I swore. " It's Tiger..."

I forced myself to stay calm. Tiger was a vicious dog who was allowed to run free around my neighbor's property, and who sometimes wiggled under the fence and entered mine. However, he didn't bother people unless he had a reason.

Saying this to myself, I glanced down subconsciously.

I was still wearing the clothes from the first night. With Zim being so sick, I hadn't had the time to shower or change.

The clothes still had blood on them

_Double shit._

Tiger snarled and began to thunder up the hill towards me.

_Nothing to do here._ I thought, and I turned and ran for my freaking life.

" SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" I screamed.

Tiger was gaining on me, but I had the barn in sight. With a sigh of relief, I threw open the door and started to disappear inside.

My joy was cut short when my arm was yanked backwards. Two rows of dagger-like teeth sank into my wrist.

Every foul word know to man sprang from out of my mouth.

" SON OF A B*TCH!" I shrieked, trying to tear my arm away.

Tiger growled and yanked further back, causing another jolt of pain to race through my shoulder.

" NO!" I screamed, kicking the dog in the face. " YOU WILL NOT CHEW ME TODAY!"

Tiger squealed and released my wrist. With a grunt, I slammed the door shut on his paw.

" SEE HOW _IT_ FEELS!" I snarled. " PAIN! HAHAHA!"

Tiger scratched at the door, growling.

" GO BACK TO THE LEVEL OF HELL YOU CAME FROM!" I spat. " AND STAY THERE!"

I smiled at the door, enjoying the sounds of Tiger's frustration.

And then I felt warm liquid racing down my hand and realized: _Dang. My arm hurts._

" Yulari?" asked a voice. " Are you okay?"

I turned around.

_Wow, I forgot they were there..._

" I'm good." I replied with a grimace. " That stupid dog didn't get me _that_ badly..."

Zim had been sitting up, hunched over as Lani placed a wet towel on his shoulders.

At the moment, they were both staring at me.

Lani's eyes flickered down and gasped.

" You're bleeding!"

I looked down a well. Two rows of small puncture wounds lined my wrist, oozing trickles of red blood.

" Oh." I said. " So I am."

Lani stood up.

" Here, let me-"

" Nope, I'm good." I said quickly, hiding my hand. " Stay there, take care of... you know who I mean. I think I have a medical kit... in the back... actually, it's in the house..."

" No." Zim replied sharply. " Lani, go help her."

" Zim-"

" Go."

Lani sighed and walked over to me.

" Show me." she said.

" You're gong to make it sting..." I growled, backing away.

" Does he have rabies?"

" Ah... no."

" Then show me."

" Fine." I groaned, drawing out my hand from behind my back. My blood smeared across my skin like paint.

Lani dabbed my cuts with a damp cloth.

" Does it hurt a lot?" she asked. I shook my head, but I was lying.

_It hurts like hell._

Zim lay back and stretched.

" She isn't telling the truth." he yawned. " Yulari, just accept the help..."

I stuck my tongue out at him. He just smiled.

Lani giggled to herself.

" You two are becoming good friends..."

Again, I stared at her. Didn't she have a jealous streak since she had a crush on the alien?

Apparently not. I was glad for that.

" Who's dog was that anyway?" Lani asked. I shrugged.

" The neighbor's. I dunno, I never wanted to find out."

Zim watched us with slitted eyes, observing my expression with a stony one of his own.

" I got the blueberries." I said. I tossed the packet to Zim, who caught it without even glancing up.

" Eat them, okay?"

" Fine."

I was a little hurt by Zim's tone but I tried to ignore it.

I turned away from my friends and peeked out of a crack in the barn. I couldn't see Tiger anywhere.

" Coast is clear..." I replied. " Tigger's gone."

" Tigger?"

" Mm-hm."

" You hate that dog, don't you?"

" Like I hate mushrooms and broccoli, I hate him with a fiery passion."

Lani smiled again, her expression a little weird.

Again, I couldn't shake that odd feeling that Lani wasn't acting normal.

" Zim?" I asked. " Are you eating those blueberries?"

I heard a grunt from behind me that served as an answer.

My mind was reeling.

_What's going on? Why are my friends acting so... different?_

I bit my lip and forced myself to turn around.

Lani was washing the bloodied rag in the bucket, while Zim quietly ate the berries. Neither of them looked at me.

I sighed.

" I'll be back..." I said quietly, walking to the door.

As I placed my hand on the knob, I heard Zim sit up.

" Don't go out there." he snapped.

I was yanked away from the door by a strong force.

" Hey!" I yelped.

I spun around and was greeted with the sight of a very pissed-off looking alien standing directly in front of me.

" Why are you standing up?" I asked, horrified. " You're going to faint!"

" Let's get something straight, okay?" Zim said. " Usually, when there's a mad dog outside the door, we _don't _go outside."

I raised an eyebrow.

" Oh? So now you're having a hissy-fit on me? What the hell have I done wrong?"

" Hissy-fit?" Zim snarled. " Is _that _what you people call it?"

" Us people?" I blinked. " Really? Are you going to start with this?"

" I'm _trying _not to punch something right now because of this insane bad-ass AGONY that I'm experiencing right now, so don't push me." Zim spat.

" Agony?" I asked, my anger draining away. " Where?"

Zim tilted his head.

" What do you mean?" Zim said. " Lani said you knew."

" Knew- waitasecond..." I stammered, placing a hand in front of me. " What's going on here?"

" The rib shifted last night. Lani said you weren't going to do anything to see if it healed on its own."

" I wouldn't do that."

Zim's eyes softened.

" I thought so. I'm just... really confused right now... A lot has happened in just a few days."

" It shifted?" I asked. " Go lay down, I need to check that."

Zim rubbed his neck.

" Um, sorry about-"

" Go lay down."

As the alien quietly obeyed, I cast a quick glance over my shoulder and locked eyes with Lani.

In the second before she turned away, I saw the look that I had been waiting for all along:

Jealousy.


End file.
